Operation Sindoor: Why did India choose to strike Muridke, Bahawalpur and other sites?

India struck several terrorist-linked locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the wee hours of Wednesday (May 7). The multi-branch military operation is named Operation Sindoor. The strikes were aimed at dismantling the training and logistical infrastructure of terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen, and others, that have been known to have terror bases in these regions for years.

A total of nine sites were hit, which includes Bahawalpur, Muridke and Kotli. Here is why India chose these places to carry out Operation Sindoor.

Bahawalpur has long been known as the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed. Masood Azhar leads the terrorist organisation and has been responsible for the attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001, the 2016 Pathankot attack on an Indian air base, and the Pulwama attack in 2019 in which 44 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel died. 

Muridke is only 40 kilometres from Lahore and is a major commercial hub. Lashkar-e-Taiba and its charitable wing, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, have terror facilities spread over more than 200 acres here. LeT was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attack in which 10 members of the terror group opened fire and bombed several places in Mumbai for over four days, killing a total of 175 people.

Kotli lies in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and is a major training facility for terrorists, especially suicide bombers. India has often flagged the place for preparing insurgents to carry out attacks against India. Makaz Raheel Shahid in Kotli, which has camps and training centres of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen, and Markaz Abbas of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group were hit here.

The Mehmoona camp near Sialkot was a hub for the terror group Hizbul Mujahideen that carried out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in the past. Although it isn't seen to be as active today, India believes terrorists are still trained here who then cross the border with support from local networks.

Other places include the Bilal Camp, which is a JeM launchpad. Shawai Nallah Cam in Muzaffarabad has been linked to attacks in Kashmir Valley, especially Sonmarg, Gulmarg and Pahalgam in northern Kashmir. Sarjal / Tehra Kalan and Barnala, Bhimber, are located near the International Border and the Line of Control and are used by terrorists to infiltrate India.