1 week ago
Ex-CDS Says Munition May Have Hit Kirana Hills
India carried out Operation Sindoor after an attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people.
People then wondered whether India had attacked Kirana Hills in Pakistan.
Kirana Hills is believed to be connected to nuclear facilities, although the reports do not confirm all details about the site.
Former military chief Anil Chauhan said India did not choose Kirana Hills as a target.
He explained that India sent special weapons toward nearby Sargodha to look for radars.
These weapons could stay in the air for about two hours.
If they found no target, they could come down somewhere.
Chauhan said one may have landed on a hill, while earlier officials denied that India had struck the area deliberately.
Former CDS General Anil Chauhan said India did not deliberately target Kirana Hills during Operation Sindoor.
He said loitering munitions sent toward Sargodha to search for radars may have later struck a nearby hill.
Kirana Hills is approximately 10 kilometers north of Sargodha, and the munitions could remain airborne for about two hours.
Pakistani media reportedly showed smoke from Kirana Hills, but the reports do not conclusively establish what caused it.
Air Marshal A.K. Bharti had previously said India had not hit Kirana Hills or its suspected nuclear facilities.
- Who
- Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan discussed the incident; Air Marshal A.K. Bharti had previously denied that Kirana Hills was hit.
- What
- A loitering munition sent toward Sargodha to search for radars may have landed on a hill near Kirana Hills, although the area was not deliberately targeted.
- Where
- Kirana Hills, approximately 10 kilometers north of Sargodha in Pakistan; Operation Sindoor also involved targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
- When
- The operation occurred in May 2025; Chauhan made the reported remarks on a Tuesday at a later Vivekananda International Foundation event. One article identifies the event as August 25, 2026.
- Why
- The munitions were reportedly searching for radars around Sargodha and could descend if they failed to find a target within about two hours.
Possible Munition Impact
No Deliberate Kirana Hills Strike
Whether the hills were hit
Possible Munition Impact
Chauhan said a loitering munition sent toward Sargodha may have failed to find a radar and hit one of the nearby hills; Pakistani media reportedly showed smoke from the area.
No Deliberate Kirana Hills Strike
Chauhan said Kirana Hills was not selected as a target, and Air Marshal A.K. Bharti previously said India had not hit the site.
Meaning of the reported smoke
Possible Munition Impact
The reported smoke images were offered by Chauhan as a possible explanation for why speculation about a strike began.
No Deliberate Kirana Hills Strike
The articles do not establish that the smoke came from an Indian munition or that nuclear facilities were struck.
Radiation-leak claims
Possible Munition Impact
Rumours linked the alleged strike to a possible radiation leak from the site.
No Deliberate Kirana Hills Strike
The International Atomic Energy Agency said, based on available information, that there had been no radiation leak or release from a Pakistani nuclear facility.
Key facts
- Operation
- Operation Sindoor
- Operation timing
- May 2025
- Speaker
- Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan
- Location
- Kirana Hills, about 10 kilometers north of Sargodha
- Munition mission
- Loitering munitions were sent toward Sargodha to search for radars
- Munition endurance
- About two hours of loitering time
- Earlier Indian position
- Air Marshal A.K. Bharti said India had not hit Kirana Hills
- Radiation reports
- The International Atomic Energy Agency said there was no radiation leak or release from a nuclear facility in Pakistan, according to one report
Quotes
Air Marshal A K Bharti
Former Director General of Air Operations and former Deputy Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force
“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”
wionews.com
“So the loiter ammunition was looking for radars, which were in and around Sargodha, and it has got a lifetime. It will loiter for about two hours, and if it doesn’t find a target, it will come and hit somewhere. It must have come and hit one of those hills.”
firstpost.com
thestatesman.com
timesnownews.com
Fredrik Dahl
Press department representative of the International Atomic Energy Agency
“We are aware of the reports. Based on information available to the IAEA, there was no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan.”
firstpost.com
Sources
Pakistan's Kirana Hills nuke facility not targeted in Operation Sindoor, loitering munition may have hit hill: Anil Chauhan
Did India hit Pakistan’s Kirana Hills during Op Sindoor? Why this question refuses to die
Did India hit Pakistan’s Kirana Hills? Former CDS Anil Chauhan explains what may have happened during Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor big reveal: Ex CDS Anil Chauhan clears air on strike at Pakistan's nuclear sites in Kirana Hills
Did India Hit Kirana Hills During Operation Sindoor? What Ex-CDS Anil Chauhan Said
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