Ex-CDS: Loitering Munition May Have Strayed Into Kirana Hills During Op Sindoor
Former CDS Anil Chauhan says a loitering munition may have accidentally hit Kirana Hills during Operation Sindoor, clarifying India did not target nuclear sites.
New Delhi: A loitering munition launched by India during Operation Sindoor may have accidentally struck the Kirana Hills near Sargodha in Pakistan, according to former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan (retd). Speaking at an event hosted by the Vivekananda International Foundation on Tuesday, he said the hills house Pakistan's nuclear facilities, but stressed that India did not deliberately target them.
Chauhan explained that before the strikes, India sent a number of loitering munitions towards Sargodha to search for radars. Kirana Hills lies about 10 km north of Sargodha. These munitions have a limited loiter time of around two hours; if they fail to find a target, they descend and hit whatever is below. "It must have come and hit one of those hills," he said, adding that Pakistani media had shown images of smoke rising from the area, which may have prompted questions.
He also dismissed claims that US President Donald Trump mediated the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, saying it was decided between the two Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs). He speculated that the information may have leaked from the Pakistani side, not India.
On Pakistan's situational awareness, Chauhan said their daily briefings often mislocated India's carrier battle group in the Arabian Sea by 100 to 300 nautical miles, indicating poor surveillance and over-reliance on foreign sources. He also noted that 70-80% of the platforms used by Pakistan during the operation were of Chinese origin, and that Chinese OEM representatives were present, as is contractual practice. He added that commercial satellite imagery from Chinese companies is available to anyone, and Pakistan did try to use it, but failed to hit targets.