The family of Masood Azhar, a prominent figure in Jaish-e-Mohammed, was targeted and killed during Operation Sindoor. This information was disclosed by Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a close associate of Azhar, five months after the event. Kashmiri revealed that the attack occurred on the night of May 7th, when Azhar’s family was sleeping in Bahawalpur. The airstrike resulted in the death of all family members, and Kashmiri stressed the need to understand the reasons for this loss.
Kashmiri made these remarks during a public gathering in Pakistan. He is the head of Jaish’s propaganda and recruitment wing and is known to be a close confidant of Masood Azhar, actively participating in the radicalization of young people. Kashmiri is also listed as a high-profile individual by the NIA.
14 members of the family perished in the attack.
The strike targeted a madrasa in Bahawalpur that was associated with Masood Azhar. Inside the madrasa, 14 members of Azhar’s family were present and killed. Following the attack, Masood Azhar released a statement.
In his statement, Azhar expressed his loss of hope. Reports in Pakistani media indicated that Masood Azhar’s elder sister and brother-in-law were killed in Operation Sindoor.
Masood Azhar has been in hiding since Operation Sindoor.
Since the operation, Masood Azhar’s whereabouts have remained unknown. Recently, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif denied the presence of terrorists on Pakistani soil. Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto suggested that Azhar and other terrorists might be hiding in Afghanistan, although Afghanistan has not yet commented on this claim.
Details on Operation Sindoor:
In late April, Pakistani terrorists associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba killed 26 innocent people in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. In response, Indian security forces launched Operation Sindoor. This operation involved the destruction of nine terrorist training camps located in Pakistan.
These included key bases for both Lashkar and Jaish. Approximately 100 terrorists were killed in the operation. The Indian government has confirmed that the operation continues.