BIG Success For Operation Sindoor: Indian Army Kills Abdul Rauf Azhar, Jaish Terrorist & IC-814 Hijack Plotter

Abdul Rauf Azhar, the younger brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar, was the mastermind behind the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 and had been on the radar of Indian intelligence agencies for decades.

Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Abdul Rauf Azhar, a key figure in India’s most notorious hijacking case, has been killed in Operation Sindoor, top intelligence sources confirmed on Thursday. Azhar, the younger brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar, was the mastermind behind the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 and had been on the radar of Indian intelligence agencies for decades. His elimination marks a significant milestone in India’s counter-terror operations, particularly as he was one of the most wanted individuals by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Carried out with surgical precision by Indian Armed Forces, Operation Sindoor targeted nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Abdul Rauf Azhar was reportedly neutralized in a strike on a high-value target location believed to be a major JeM operational hub. His death is being hailed as a major blow to the Pakistan-backed terror network.

Apart from the Kandhar plan hijack, Azhar was also behind the 2001 Indian Parliament Attack, Nagrota Army Camp Attack 2003, Pulwama Attack (2019) and other cross border terror attacks. 

Notably, the Indian Armed Forces killed over 100 terrorists in 'Operation Sindoor' including 10 family members of Jaish chief Masood Azhar and his four close aides. Reportedly after the attack, Masood Azhar wished that he should have died instead of his family members.

Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is a Pakistan-based militant Islamist group founded by Masood Azhar in 2000, with the primary objective of separating Jammu and Kashmir from India and merging it with Pakistan. The group has been responsible for numerous high-profile terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF personnel.