Terror hotbed in Pakistan’s Muridke turns into rubble after India’s strike

MURIDKE (Pakistan): Following India’s precision strikes on terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on Wednesday, the terror hotbed in Muridke has been turned into rubble.

The Markaz Taiba in Muridke, is the most important training centre of Lashkar-e-Taiba. The complex holds arms and physical trainings facility, as well as dawa’h and radicalisation for terror entities both from within Pakistan and abroad.

This Markaz enrols around 1000 students in different courses annually. All the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai attack including Ajmal Kasab were imparted ‘Daura-e-Ribbat’ (intelligence training) at this facility. David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the prime conspirators of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, had visited Muridke on instructions of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

The visuals obtained by Reuters show the terror infrastructure completely damaged after the strikes conducted by Indian forces.

Sheikhupura District Additional Deputy Commissioner, Usman Jaleesm, said four buildings have been demolished following India’s strikes, according to Reuters.

Jaleesm said, “Around midnight, the first two missiles were fired by India in the premises, and the other two attacks were carried out after a brief gap, and the whole four attacks were carried out in less than ten minutes. Four buildings have been demolished, one is the admin block and the mosque, and additionally two residences”.

Satellite pictures from Maxar Technologies obtained by Reuters show damage caused by Indian missile strikes on the Jamia Mosque in Bahawalpur and Muridke cities of Pakistan. The satellite images show how the area looked before the strike and after the strike.

India, on early Wednesday, carried out precision strikes at the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Operation Sindoor, launched by Indian forces, targeted nine sites, which were successfully hit.

According to a report filed by Reuters, a resident of Muridke described the situation at the location of the strike on Wednesday. The resident said, “It was 12:45 in night and we were sleeping. First a drone came, then three more. The drone attack destroyed the administrative office and the roof of the mosque. One officer was sitting on the roof, he was killed”.

Another local resident said, “Fear spread among the people, people went out into the fields, into open spaces, this is how the night passed in fear.”

Meanwhile, the Indian Armed Forces on Wednesday provided detailed insights into Operation Sindoor. Addressing a press briefing in Delhi on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh outlined the objectives of the operation.

A total of nine terror sites in Pakistan, including five in Pojk, linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (Jem), were targeted with meticulous planning to avoid civilian casualties.

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh elaborated on the operation’s strategic intent, stating, “‘Operation Sindoor’ was a retaliation to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 to serve justice to the innocent victims and their families. Nine terror camps were targeted and destroyed.”

She revealed that Pakistan has maintained a complex terror infrastructure for three decades, comprising 21 recruitment, indoctrination, and launch pad centres across Pakistan and PoJK.

“The targets for Operation Sindoor were based on credible intelligence inputs and locations that were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructure and loss of civilian lives,” Singh added, underscoring the operation’s precision.

The strikes, executed between 1:05 am and 1:30 am on Wednesday, involved a coordinated effort by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, targeting key facilities like the JeM and LeT bases in Pakistan as well as PoJK. (ANI)