India's Operation Sindoor struck terror camps run by Jem and Let in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (Pok) in the early hours of Wednesday. One of the camps that was struck was Bahawalpur, which houses the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammad (Jem). As per reports, 30 Jem operatives were eliminated in the strike, including 10 family members of Jem chief Masood Azhar.
Masood Azhar is one of India's most wanted terrorists. While Pakistan claims that he is in custody, Azhar is widely believed to be residing in Jem's headquarters, Markaz Subhanallah, in Bahawalpur, which is just about 100 km from the India border.
Designated a global terrorist by the UN in 2019, Azhar's involvement with terrorism began in the early 1990s, when he served as the general secretary of the Harkat-ul-Ansar. The group was flagged by the CIA for its extremist activities, including abductions and attacks on Westerners.
In 1994, he entered Kashmir using a fake identity but was captured in Anantnag. In 1999, following the hijacking of the Indian Airlines Flight IC-814, Azhar was released in exchange for the release of the 154 passengers held hostage by terrorists.
Azhar and his organisation, the JEM, have since been linked to brazen terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.
Operation Sindoor marks the most significant blow yet to the Jem chief.