Pak awards hint 100 LoC deaths; 100 terrorists killed too: DGMO

New Delhi: Indian strikes killed over 100 terrorists during Operation Sindoor and a recent awards list by the Pakistani Army suggests that it suffered over 100 casualties on the Line of Control (LoC) as well, director general of military operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai said on Tuesday.

In a briefing of international army chiefs at the UN Troop Contributing Countries Conference, the officer said India has undertaken a doctrinal shift in strategy against terror-acts of terror are seen as acts of war, and there will be decisive retaliation, no succumbing to nuclear blackmail and no distinction between terrorists and their sponsors.

In a detailed briefing that included the terror targets, post strike satellite images and other details, the officer said that in the early hours of May 7, more than 100 terrorists were neutralised when Indian forces targeted nine terror camps and headquarters across Pakistan.


Importantly, the officer added, that the Pakistani Army is believed to have lost over 100 soldiers in cross-border firing as well. "After the terror targets were struck, there was cross-border firing from Pakistan-ceasefire violations spiked. Initially, I mentioned 35-40 incidents, but recently their own awards list suggested over 100 casualties on the Line of Control," he said.

The officer said India had war-gamed Pakistani retaliation on the LoC and managed to hit its second layer of defence across the border, which was unexpected and caused heavy casualties. Lt Gen Ghai said the forces had been given complete flexibility to take retaliatory actions in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Besides the army and air force, the officer said, the navy was also involved and some of the weapons used and personnel who took part in Op Sindoor came from the navy. He added that the navy was poised for any escalation. "The navy was also in action; having sailed into the Arabian Sea, they were well poised for escalation had the enemy taken it further. It could have been catastrophic for them not only from the sea but from other dimensions," Ghai said.