The operation, a response to a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians two weeks earlier, marked a significant escalation in the long-standing India-Pakistan conflict.

Hours later, Pakistan claimed to have shot down multiple Indian aircraft. According to photographic evidence published by Military Watch Magazine, at least one of them is

The discovery of an unexploded MICA air-to-air missile in the wreckage has added a layer of intrigue, raising questions about the nature of the aerial engagement and the platforms involved. As tensions soar along the Line of Control, the incident underscores the volatile dynamics of the Kashmir region and the technological stakes of modern air combat.

The Indian operation was a direct retaliation for the April 22, 2025, attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, where 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists, were killed in an assault attributed to The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

India’s Ministry of Defence described Operation Sindoor as a “focused, measured, and non-escalatory” strike, targeting nine sites linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, two terrorist groups with a history of cross-border attacks. The ministry emphasized that no Pakistani military facilities were hit, a deliberate choice to avoid broader escalation.

According to a statement released at 1:44 a.m. on May 7, the strikes aimed to dismantle “terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.”

The operation targeted locations in Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Sialkot, and Muridke, areas known for housing militant groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, whose leader Masood Azhar operates from Bahawalpur, and Lashkar-e-Taiba, headquartered in Muridke.

Pakistan swiftly condemned the strikes, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling them a “cowardly attack” and vowing retaliation. Pakistani military spokesperson Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed the strikes targeted civilian areas, including mosques, and resulted in nine civilian deaths, including three children.