New Delhi: Top intelligence sources confirmed on Thursday that Abdul Rauf Azhar, one of India’s most wanted terrorists and the operational head of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), has been killed in Operation Sindoor.

Azhar, the younger brother of JeM founder Masood Azhar, was a central figure in the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 and had remained on the radar of Indian agencies for decades.

The aircraft, with 190 people on board, was en route from Kathmandu to Delhi when it was diverted to Kandahar.

The hijacking ended with the Indian government agreeing to release three terrorists in exchange for the hostages—one of whom was Masood Azhar himself.

His death is being seen as a key milestone in India’s ongoing counter-terror campaign.

Targeted in high-precision strike on JeM hub

Operation Sindoor, conducted with clinical precision by the Indian Armed Forces, targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Azhar was neutralised in an airstrike on what was believed to be a high-value JeM operational base.

His killing delivers a severe setback to the Pakistan-backed terror network that has long operated with impunity across the border.

According to a statement attributed to Masood Azhar, Indian strikes on the Jaish headquarters—Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah—in Bahawalpur killed 10 members of his family and four close aides.

The air raids specifically targeted known terror hubs operated by the group in retaliation for the brutal killings in Pahalgam.

Mastermind of multiple terror attacks in India

Apart from orchestrating the IC-814 hijack, which forced India to release three jailed terrorists including his brother Masood Azhar, Abdul Rauf was the alleged planner behind the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2003 Nagrota Army Camp assault, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.

Massive toll on JeM leadership in Operation Sindoor

The Indian forces eliminated over 100 terrorists during the strikes. Among those killed were ten family members of Masood Azhar and four of his close aides. Following the attack, Masood Azhar is said to have expressed sorrow, stating he wished he had died instead of his family members.

Founded by Masood Azhar in 2000, Jaish-e-Mohammed is a Pakistan-based Islamist terror group with a stated goal of seceding Jammu and Kashmir from India and merging it with Pakistan.

The group has claimed responsibility for a series of high-profile and deadly attacks on Indian soil, including the Parliament attack in 2001, the Pathankot assault in 2016, and the Pulwama bombing in 2019.