Terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar has said 10 of his family members and four close associates were killed in a strike by the Indian armed forces under ‘Operation Sindoor’.
The operation involved targeted attacks on nine terror-linked sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including a key compound in Bahawalpur.
In a statement, Masood Azhar said the Indian strike on Bahawalpur's Markaz Subhan Allah, the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror outfit, resulted in the deaths of 10 members of his family and four close associates.
Azhar has targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “Is zulm ne saaray zabtay tor diye hain. Ab koi reham ki umeed na rakhe,” which translates to: “This cruelty has broken all boundaries.  Now, no one should expect mercy.”
Among those killed, Azhar said, were his elder sister and her husband, his nephew and his wife, and a niece.
Terror headquarters of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen were targeted, with the Indian Air Force conducting night raids on nine hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Among the precise targets hit were the Markaz Subhan Allah at Bahawalpur, Sarjal at Tehra Kalan, Markaz Abbas in Kotli, and Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad, all linked to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Other targets included the Markaz Taiba at Murdike, Markaz Ahle Hadith at Barnala, and Shwawai Nalla camp at Muzaffarabad, all associated with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Additionally, Makaz Raheel Shahid in Kotli and Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen, were also hit.
Of the nine targets, four were located in Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
‘Operation Sindoor’ is a symbolic reference to the red vermilion traditionally worn by Hindu women to signify marriage. 
On April 22, a heart-wrenching image of a Hindu woman sitting in shock beside her husband’s body went viral on social media, becoming a symbol of the tragic assault in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.