India on Wednesday claimed it targeted “nine terror camps” inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir to “pre-empt as well as deter more such cross-border attacks.”
Addressing a news conference, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the April 22 attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir was carried out by “Pakistani and Pakistan-trained terrorists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba.”
Misri’s news conference came just hours after India launched missile strikes targeting nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir early Wednesday.
Misri said intelligence monitoring of “Pakistan-based terrorist modules indicated that further attacks against India were impending.”
The official said India exercised its “right to respond and preempt as well as deter more such cross-border attacks.”
“These actions were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible,” he said.
Misri said they focused on “dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists likely to be sent across to India.”
Indian Army’s Col. Sofiya Qureshi at the news conference said the “operation Sindoor” (red powder worn by married Hindu women) was launched to give “justice to victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.”
Pakistan said at least 26 people were killed and 46 others injured in the attacks.
The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors comes in the wake of an April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed.
India blamed Pakistan for the attack, claiming there were cross-border links.
Pakistan denied that it had anything to do with the killings.