'Pakistan Army lost 35-40 personnel in Indian strikes', DGMO tells in special briefing

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) Pakistan Army lost close to 35-40 of its personnel between May 7-10, when India launched retaliatory counterstrikes responding to its aggression, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai said in a special press briefing on Sunday.

He also said that the Operation Sindoor was conceptualised with a clear military aim to punish the perpetrators and planners of terror and to destroy their terror infrastructure.

"Our aim on the 7th of May was to target terrorists and their infrastructure, not any other infrastructure, especially not Pakistani civilian or military establishments, and we achieved this with precision. However, on the evening of 7th May, we were subjected to a wave of Pakistani unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and small drones, which targeted both our civilian and military areas. They were successfully intercepted. While three drones managed to land, they caused minimal damage," he said.

“On the night of 8-9 May, they (Pakistan) flew drones and aircraft into our airspace all across the borders and made largely unsuccessful attempts to target numerous military infrastructure. Violations on the LoC by Pakistan also commenced yet again and precipitated into fierce engagements," the Army further stated.

Air Marshal AK Bharti said that India struck Pakistani airbases, command centres, military infrastructure, and air defence systems across the entire Western Front in a coordinated and calibrated manner.

“The bases we struck include Chaklala, Rafiqui, and Rahim Yar Khan, sending a clear message that aggression will not be tolerated. This was followed by strikes at Sargodha, Bhulari, and Jacobabad," he pointed out.

He said that our focus was not on counting the casualties but on hitting the terror targets.

“Our aim was not to inflict casualties, but in case there have been, it is for them to count. Our job is to hit the target, not to count the body bags," he said.

--IANS

mr/dan