In a stunning admission, a top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hafiz Abdul Rauf, has publicly acknowledged the devastating impact of India's Operation Sindoor, confirming that the strikes completely destroyed the group's headquarters in Muridke. Rauf, a US-designated global terrorist, made the revelation during a gathering, providing a rare inside account of the destruction inflicted on the terror organization's primary training facility.
Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, targeted multiple terror camps and Pakistani military installations. The Pahalgam attack, carried out by LeT operatives under the guise of The Resistance Front (TRF), resulted in the death of 26 civilians. The operation was a swift 88-hour military campaign that began on May 6, 2025.
Rauf's admission is particularly significant given LeT's history of downplaying operational losses. He stated that the Markaz-e-Taiba complex, once a central hub for the organization, was reduced to rubble during the Indian strikes on May 6 and 7, 2025. "What happened on May 6-7, that place is no longer a mosque. Today, we cannot even sit there. It is finished; it has collapsed," Rauf declared. He also led funeral prayers for terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor.
The LeT commander's statements validate India's claims about the effectiveness of Operation Sindoor and expose Pakistan's long-standing denials of its support for terrorist organizations. Rauf's revelations also indicated that Pakistan has granted "open freedom for jihad", asserting that recruitment and training of terrorists is easier there than anywhere else in the world. He also acknowledged that Chinese weapons and equipment were used by Pakistan and LeT.
Following the strikes, LeT has been working to rebuild its headquarters, with demolition of the damaged structures completed by September 7, 2025. Reconstruction efforts are underway, overseen by senior LeT leaders, with the aim of completing at least partial reconstruction by February 5, 2026. Islamabad has reportedly provided LeT with an initial 40 crore Pakistani rupees (approximately 12.5 crore INR) for the reconstruction. The group is also raising funds through offline collection drives and online appeals.
India has warned Pakistan against any further misadventures, asserting that Operation Sindoor has only been paused. The admission by the top LeT commander underscores the strategic pressure the organization felt leading up to the strike, revealing that trainees at the Muridke camp were evacuated just moments before the Indian missiles struck.
