India Reveals Inside Story of Operation Sindoor to UN Military Chiefs: Lt Gen Ghai Lifts the Veil on Precision Strikes

In a rare operational disclosure made before global military leaders, Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy), revealed that over 100 Pakistani soldiers were killed during Operation Sindoor, conducted along the Line of Control (LoC) in May this year. The revelation came during a closed-door briefing to the Army Chiefs of United Nations Troop Contributing Countries (UNTCC), currently convening in New Delhi.

Lt Gen Ghai, who served as the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) during the operation, said the scale of Pakistan’s losses was evident from the unusually high number of posthumous awards conferred by its Army.

“Pakistanis possibly unwittingly let out their awards list on August 14, and the number of posthumous awards they announced suggests that their casualties on the LoC were in excess of 100,” Lt Gen Ghai said.

“Drone attacks against India were a dismal failure,” he added.

Inside Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor was India’s measured and coordinated military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. Lt Gen Ghai detailed the sequence of events and the jointness across services and agencies that shaped India’s actions between April 22 and the night of May 6–7.

“Everybody knew a response was inevitable. Between April 22 and May 6–7, actions were evolving and unfolding. We were prioritising our targets and carrying out precautionary deployments on our borders to deter the enemy,” he said. “There was very high coordination among the armed forces, intelligence agencies, and other departments.”

Ghai revealed that the final target list emerged from a large number of scrutinised sites and was accompanied by a proactive information warfare campaign. He noted that despite a communication between the DGMOs, Pakistan continued drone incursions into Indian airspace, prompting the Indian Air Force to act.

Precision Strikes and Air Superiority

Elaborating on the air campaign, Lt Gen Ghai said the IAF executed precision strikes on the nights of May 9 and 10, targeting 11 Pakistani air bases.

“We hit 11 of their air bases. Eight bases, three hangars, and four radars were damaged. Pakistani air assets were destroyed on the ground,” he said.

“One C-130 class aircraft, one AEW&C, and four to five fighter jets were taken out. Some assets were also destroyed in the air.”

The revelations align with earlier statements by Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, who confirmed that the IAF had carried out long-range strikes that destroyed a C-130 transport aircraft, an AEW&C or SIGINT platform, and several F-16 and JF-17 fighters.

“We now know that the world’s longest-ever ground-to-air kill, at over 300 km, took down five high-tech fighters,” Lt Gen Ghai said. “The impunity with which these attacks were carried out is what is significant.”

‘It Could Have Been Catastrophic for Pakistan’

Ghai revealed that the Indian Navy had also deployed in strength in the Arabian Sea and was ready for action when Pakistan called for a cessation of hostilities four days into the conflict.

“Had the enemy decided to take it any further, it could have been catastrophic for them, not only from the sea but from other dimensions,” he cautioned.

He added that India had “war-gamed four to five steps ahead” and anticipated Pakistan’s actions on the LoC.

“We struck at their second layer, something they did not expect. That’s why they suffered the number of casualties they did,” Ghai said, noting that over 100 terrorists were also killed in the early hours of May 7.

The officer said it took 88 hours for Pakistan to request a ceasefire, underlining that India’s operations were targeted, controlled, and non-escalatory.

“We openly acknowledged our actions to maintain credibility,” he said. “We extended our punitive reach to unprecedented levels.”

Doctrinal Shift: Precision, Persistence, and Political Clarity

Lt Gen Ghai emphasised that India’s recent responses reflect a “doctrinal shift” in its strategy against terrorism, combining precision strikes, sustained pursuit, and firm political resolve.

Referring to the elimination of three terrorists in June who were behind the Pahalgam attack, he said,

“It took us 96 days, but we did not let them rest. When they were finally terminated, they looked exhausted and malnourished. Justice was served.”

He also reiterated the three strategic tenets articulated by the Prime Minister:

1. Terror attacks are acts of war and will invite decisive retaliation.
2. India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail.
3. There is no distinction between terrorists and their sponsors.

Strategic Significance of the Briefing

Lt Gen Ghai’s detailed account of Operation Sindoor before the global audience of Army Chiefs was seen as a significant confidence-building gesture, offering partner nations an insight into India’s calibrated response model, its joint operational capabilities, and its commitment to a responsible yet resolute counter-terrorism strategy.

By sharing operational lessons within a UN peacekeeping forum, India subtly reinforced its dual identity as both a leading troop-contributing nation and a responsible regional power, capable of conducting precision operations while upholding international norms.

Ravi Shankar