Operation Sindoor: Ex-CDS Anil Chauhan Reveals Details of India’s Campaign Against Pakistan

Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has revealed fresh details regarding Operation Sindoor, stating that an Indian loitering munition accidentally struck Pakistan’s Kirana Hills after running out of fuel during a search for radar installations, according to coverage from Firstpost and India TV.

Addressing an audience at the Vivekananda Centre in New Delhi, General Chauhan explained that Indian forces deployed loitering munitions to locate radars around Sargodha, a major military hub in Pakistan. Kirana Hills, a strategically significant area associated with Pakistan’s nuclear infrastructure, sits about 10 kilometers north of Sargodha, according to India TV.

According to General Chauhan’s remarks reported by India TV, the munition—likely an Israeli-designed Harop drone—had a limited flight endurance of roughly two hours. When it failed to lock onto a radar target within its operating window, it lost altitude and impacted one of the hills in the area.

Clarifying the Sargodha and Kirana Hills Strikes

The disclosure addresses ongoing public questions about whether Indian strikes directly hit the nuclear-related facilities at Kirana Hills. Pakistan’s media previously broadcast images showing smoke rising from the hills, prompting international speculation, as noted by India TV.

“At occasions, it’s been asked whether Kirana Hills were hit or not, which is where their nuclear facilities are… Before those strikes, we had sent in a lot of loitering missions at Sargodha and Kirana Hills is about 10 kilometers north of Sargodha,” General Chauhan stated, according to India TV. He emphasized that the strike was entirely unintentional and resulted from the munitions exhausting their operational lifespan.

Aborted Missions and Satellite Imagery Challenges

Firstpost and India TV reported that General Chauhan detailed four separate air attack waves launched on May 10, 2025, utilizing lower airspace. During the campaign, the Indian Air Force received official clearance to strike Skardu in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, but officials ultimately abandoned the mission due to adverse weather conditions.

General Chauhan also addressed Pakistan’s attempts to verify damage sustained during the operation using commercial satellite imagery from providers in both the United States and China. According to his remarks, purchasing and acquiring commercial satellite data involves contracts, payments, and standard waiting periods, and Pakistan ultimately struggled to obtain verifiable evidence of specific targets being hit despite trying, as reported by India TV.