1 week ago
Ex-CDS Says Indian Drone Accidentally Struck Pakistan’s Kirana Hills
General Anil Chauhan said an Indian military drone may have accidentally hit Kirana Hills in Pakistan.
This happened during Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
The drone was searching for radar equipment near Sargodha.
It could stay in the air for about two hours.
It reportedly did not find the radar it was looking for.
Chauhan said the drone then came down and hit one of the hills.
He said India did not intentionally attack the area or its reported nuclear-related facilities.
India also changed a planned attack on Skardu because of bad weather and struck Bholari instead.
Former CDS General Anil Chauhan said an Indian loitering munition may have accidentally hit Pakistan’s Kirana Hills during Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
He said the munition was searching for Pakistani radar systems around Sargodha and had an endurance of about two hours.
According to Chauhan, the weapon may have struck the hills after failing to find a radar target before its operating time ended.
Chauhan and the Indian Air Force said Kirana Hills was not deliberately targeted, despite reports linking the area to nuclear-related military facilities.
He said bad weather forced India to abandon an approved strike on Skardu and attack a hangar at Bholari instead.
- Who
- Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan described the incident involving Indian forces and the Indian Air Force.
- What
- An Indian loitering munition may have accidentally struck Kirana Hills while searching for radar targets.
- Where
- Kirana Hills, about 10 kilometres from Sargodha in Pakistan; another reported strike hit a hangar at Bholari.
- When
- During Operation Sindoor in May 2025; India launched the operation on May 7, and military exchanges continued until a May 10 ceasefire understanding.
- Why
- The munition reportedly failed to find a radar target during its approximately two-hour endurance and then struck a nearby location.
Indian account
Alternative interpretation and reported concerns
Whether Kirana Hills was deliberately targeted
Indian account
General Anil Chauhan and retired Air Marshal A.K. Bharti said India did not target Kirana Hills. Chauhan said a loitering munition searching for radars may have struck the hills after failing to find its target.
Alternative interpretation and reported concerns
Reports and Pakistani media images prompted questions about whether Kirana Hills had been struck, particularly because the area has been linked in reports to nuclear-related military facilities.
Meaning of the reported strike
Indian account
Chauhan described the possible impact as an unintended consequence of the munition’s limited endurance, rather than a planned attack on a nuclear-related site.
Alternative interpretation and reported concerns
The reported smoke and alleged impact near a strategically significant military area fueled speculation about the location and the intended target, although the supplied reports do not establish that India deliberately attacked it.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan
- Operation
- Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, 2025
- Weapon
- An Indian loitering munition, described by one report as likely an Israeli-designed Harop drone
- Intended target
- Pakistani radar systems in and around Sargodha
- Reported impact
- Kirana Hills, approximately 10 kilometres from Sargodha
- Target change
- Bad weather led the Indian Air Force to switch from approved target Skardu to Bholari
- Reported damage
- Satellite imagery reportedly showed extensive damage to a hangar at Bholari
Quotes
Air Marshal AK Bharti
Retired Indian Air Marshal and former Director General of Air Operations
“Once the Pakistanis had picked up the phone and said they wanted to talk at about 10 am. The Air Chief asked me whether he should strike Sargodha, I said, Go ahead... I said, could you please identify two more targets, so one of the targets he identified was Skardu. We gave a yes, but after some time, the weather was bad over it and they had to change over to Bholari”
deccanchronicle.com
“So the loitering mission is looking for radars which are in and around Sargodha, and it has a lifetime, which means it will loiter for about two hours and once it does not find a target, it comes down and hits somewhere. It must have come and hit one of those hills.”
deccanchronicle.com
timesnownews.com
firstpost.com
Sources
Indian Drone Accidentally Hit Pakistan’s Kirana Hills During Operation Sindoor, Says Ex-CDS Anil Chauhan - VIDEO
Op Sindoor Drone Hit Pak's Kirana Hills by Accident: Ex-CDS
Ex-CDS Anil Chauhan On Op Sindoor: 'Armed Drone Struck Kirana Hills';Is This Warning Enough For Pak?
Indian drone ‘low on fuel’ hit Kirana Hills by accident, says ex-CDS Chauhan
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