Islamabad, May 07 (V7N) – The death toll has risen to 26 following Indian missile strikes on several areas in Pakistan, including Azad Kashmir, in a military operation titled "Operation Sindoor". At least 46 others have been injured, and the number of casualties is expected to rise further.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chowdhury, Director General of Pakistan’s DGFI, confirmed the casualty figures in a statement to Dawn on Wednesday (May 7) morning.

According to Lt Gen Chowdhury, 13 people were killed in Ahmedpur East of Bahawalpur, including a child, seven women, and four men. Among the 37 injured in that area, nine were women and 28 were men.

In Muzaffarabad, three people were killed in a strike near Bilal Mosque, while in Kotli, two were killed—a 16-year-old child and an 18-year-old youth—in an attack targeting Abbas Mosque.

The Indian armed forces, in an official statement, acknowledged the offensive and said the military action targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. They emphasized that no Pakistani soldiers were targeted, and the operation was a direct response to planned and ongoing attacks against India originating from these areas.

India stated that a total of nine locations were hit during Operation Sindoor.

This escalation follows the April 22 gun attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 Indians were killed. India has blamed Pakistan-based militants for the assault, a claim Pakistan has consistently denied.

Tensions continue to mount as both nations issue strong military and diplomatic responses amid calls from the international community for restraint.

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