Abdul Rauf Azhar, a globally sanctioned terrorist from the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the key architect of the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, was killed in Indian missile strikes on Wednesday targeting terror launch pads in Pakistan’s Punjab province and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), according to intelligence sources.
The strikes were part of the Indian Armed Forces’ retaliatory mission codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Azhar, who was the operational chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a terror outfit founded by his elder brother Masood Azhar, was considered one of India’s most wanted terrorists for orchestrating multiple deadly attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian sources said he succumbed to injuries sustained during the precision strikes.
The Indian offensive also reportedly resulted in the deaths of 10 family members of Masood Azhar during an airstrike on JeM’s headquarters in Bahawalpur. Masood himself is believed to be critically injured.
Indian Strikes Hit Terror Hotbeds
In addition to Bahawalpur, the Indian military also struck Muridke—another key terror hub in Pakistan’s Punjab province—destroying infrastructure linked to both JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), groups long blamed for attacks on Indian civilians and soldiers.
These strikes followed India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people. Operation Sindoor was launched to dismantle terrorist infrastructure deep inside Pakistani territory without targeting civilian or official military sites.
Who Was Abdul Rauf Azhar?
A Deobandi cleric and hardcore jihadist, Abdul Rauf Azhar rose to prominence as JeM’s top commander, officially taking charge of the group in April 2007. He had a long history of masterminding attacks on Indian soil, beginning with the 1999 IC-814 hijacking that led to the release of his brother, Masood Azhar.
Since then, he has been implicated in some of the most brutal terrorist attacks in India, including the 2001 suicide bombings on the J&K Legislative Assembly and the Indian Parliament, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, assaults on army bases in Nagrota and Kathua, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing that killed 40 CRPF personnel.
Indian intelligence agencies, including the NIA, have long tracked Azhar as the principal planner of JeM operations, especially while Masood Azhar’s health declined.
During JeM’s brief low-profile period after an assassination attempt on former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, Rauf Azhar played a pivotal role in reviving the group.
He reportedly operated from Afghanistan during this phase, maintaining ties with the Taliban and reestablishing JeM’s operational network.
Azhar’s death is seen as a major blow to JeM and a significant development in India’s counterterrorism efforts.
(With inputs from IBNS)
