NEW DELHI: Air Marshal AK Bharti on Sunday confirmed that all pilots involved in Operation Sindoor have returned home safely, adding that the Air Force achieved all its objectives in the precision strikes launched against Pakistan.
“We are in a combat scenario and losses are part of combat. However, we have achieved all our objectives, and all our pilots are back home,” Bharti said at a press briefing. “We have downed a few Pakistani planes,” he added, while declining to specify the number, citing ongoing technical assessments. “Pakistani aircraft were prevented from entering Indian airspace, so we don’t have wreckage, but we are certain of the hits.”
Bharti’s remarks came amid heightened military tensions following Pakistan’s mass drone attack on cities, including Srinagar and Naliya, on the night of May 8–9. He revealed that nearly 300–400 drones, including Turkish-origin Songar UAVs, were launched in a coordinated assault targeting 36 locations. Indian air defences intercepted the incoming threats, preventing damage to critical assets.
In response, India continued Operation Sindoor by striking Pakistan’s airbases, command centers, and military infrastructure in a “swift, coordinated, and calibrated” attack. “A decision was taken to strike where it would hurt,” Bharti said, confirming hits on airbases in Chaklala, Rafiq, and Rahim Yar Khan, followed by Sargodha, Bhulari, and Jacobabad.
“We have the capability to target every system at these bases and more,” Bharti stated, emphasizing that the response was strictly military in nature to avoid civilian casualties. He also noted Pakistan’s “reckless” decision to allow civilian and international aircraft to take off from Lahore during its drone operations, forcing India to exercise extreme caution in its retaliation.
Bharti said India’s goal was not to inflict casualties but to send a clear message. “Our job is to hit the target, not to count the body bags,” he remarked.
Operation Sindoor was launched after a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 killed 26 civilians. Since then, the border has seen escalating hostilities, including missile and drone exchanges. A temporary ceasefire was announced on May 10 following a hotline conversation between the two countries’ DGMOs, reportedly facilitated by US President Donald Trump.
However, Pakistan violated the ceasefire within hours, prompting India to send a fresh warning via hotline and place its forces on high alert.
At the end of the briefing, Bharti reaffirmed, “We are prepared. We have acted with restraint and precision. But any further provocation will be met with full force.”
“We are in a combat scenario and losses are part of combat. However, we have achieved all our objectives, and all our pilots are back home,” Bharti said at a press briefing. “We have downed a few Pakistani planes,” he added, while declining to specify the number, citing ongoing technical assessments. “Pakistani aircraft were prevented from entering Indian airspace, so we don’t have wreckage, but we are certain of the hits.”
#WATCH | Delhi: On being asked about how many Pakistani planes were downed, Air Marshal AK Bharti says, "Their planes were prevented from entering inside our border...Definitely, we have downed a few planes...Definitely, there are losses on their side which we have inflicted..." pic.twitter.com/fGAqJklRPv
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2025
Bharti’s remarks came amid heightened military tensions following Pakistan’s mass drone attack on cities, including Srinagar and Naliya, on the night of May 8–9. He revealed that nearly 300–400 drones, including Turkish-origin Songar UAVs, were launched in a coordinated assault targeting 36 locations. Indian air defences intercepted the incoming threats, preventing damage to critical assets.
In response, India continued Operation Sindoor by striking Pakistan’s airbases, command centers, and military infrastructure in a “swift, coordinated, and calibrated” attack. “A decision was taken to strike where it would hurt,” Bharti said, confirming hits on airbases in Chaklala, Rafiq, and Rahim Yar Khan, followed by Sargodha, Bhulari, and Jacobabad.
“We have the capability to target every system at these bases and more,” Bharti stated, emphasizing that the response was strictly military in nature to avoid civilian casualties. He also noted Pakistan’s “reckless” decision to allow civilian and international aircraft to take off from Lahore during its drone operations, forcing India to exercise extreme caution in its retaliation.
#WATCH | Delhi: #OperationSindoor | Air Marshal AK Bharti says, "...A decision was taken to strike where it would hurt and towards that in a swift, coordinated, calibrated attack, we stuck its Air bases, command centers, military infrastructure, air defence systems across the… pic.twitter.com/LicDRb8Tdr
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2025
Bharti said India’s goal was not to inflict casualties but to send a clear message. “Our job is to hit the target, not to count the body bags,” he remarked.
Operation Sindoor was launched after a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 killed 26 civilians. Since then, the border has seen escalating hostilities, including missile and drone exchanges. A temporary ceasefire was announced on May 10 following a hotline conversation between the two countries’ DGMOs, reportedly facilitated by US President Donald Trump.
However, Pakistan violated the ceasefire within hours, prompting India to send a fresh warning via hotline and place its forces on high alert.
At the end of the briefing, Bharti reaffirmed, “We are prepared. We have acted with restraint and precision. But any further provocation will be met with full force.”
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