India’s military on Monday confirmed the downing of a Pakistani Mirage fighter jet during Operation Sindoor, the high-intensity counter-terror mission launched on May 7 in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. A video released by the Indian Army on X (formerly Twitter) showed wreckage of the jet, offering visual confirmation of the strike.
The announcement came during a joint tri-services briefing led by senior defence officials — Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai (DGMO), Air Vice Marshal AK Bharti (Director General Air Operations), and Vice Admiral AN Pramod (Director General Naval Operations). The briefing highlighted not just the Mirage takedown but the wider success of India’s air defence systems, particularly the indigenously developed Akash system, which officials said performed "stellar" defensive roles under intense combat.
The military leaders credited a decade of consistent budgetary and policy support from the Indian government for enabling this high-readiness posture. The Integrated Air Command and Control System, paired with the Akash platform, effectively neutralised drone and missile attacks launched by Pakistan on Indian installations in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan, amid ongoing aerial conflict from May 7 to 11.
Operation Sindoor, which lasted just 25 minutes, involved surgical airstrikes on nine major terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK). According to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the strikes eliminated over 100 terrorists from groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. After Pakistan retaliated with missile and drone strikes, India launched a precision counter-offensive, hitting key Pakistani military installations, radar sites, and aviation bases in Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, and Sialkot. These counter-attacks reportedly killed 35–40 Pakistani military personnel and caused massive infrastructure damage.
Following this escalated exchange, both countries agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday evening, and the first calm night in 19 days was reported Sunday-Monday, with no firing along the LoC or International Border.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation at 8 PM, in his first public remarks since the beginning of Operation Sindoor — a moment expected to carry significant political and strategic messaging.
