Satellite pics hint India hit Pakistan's Kirana Hills in 'Op Sindoor'
By : Krishna Mishra
Satellite images shared by a defence analyst have suggested that Kirana Hills, a sensitive nuclear-linked facility in Pakistan, may have been hit during India’s Operation Sindoor.
Geo-intelligence expert Damien Symon posted two images on X, indicating potential damage inflicted by India. The first image is labeled as Kirana Hills and highlights two key points: a munition impact scar and a sentry post. A small inset shows what appears to be the impact of a strike on the site.
The second image features the Sargodha airbase, taken a few days after the reported Indian airstrikes. It points to repair work in progress at two locations on the runway where craters were visible, suggesting significant damage.
Kirana Hills, under the jurisdiction of Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence, is located near the Sargodha airbase and stretches from the township of Rabwah to the city of Sargodha.
In May, not long after India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire, Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations of the Indian Air Force, was asked whether Kirana Hills had been targeted. He denied the claim, saying the Indian forces were not aware that the area housed any nuclear installations.
“Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installation. We did not know about it. And we have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there,” he said at the time.
These remarks came amid speculation that India may have targeted Pakistan’s Mushaf Airbase in Sargodha, believed by some to be linked to underground nuclear storage located beneath Kirana Hills.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, over two weeks after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 people were killed.
Initially aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the operation escalated into a brief military exchange after Pakistan retaliated by targeting air force bases in Udhampur, Pathankot, and Adampur.
Both countries agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, marking the end of the operation.