In the wake of recent events, India has firmly dismissed rumors suggesting that its precision strikes targeted a nuclear site in Pakistan's Kirana Hills. These strikes followed a deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir on April 22nd, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, predominantly Hindu tourists. India retaliated with precision strikes aimed at terror camps, but the alleged targeting of Kirana Hills has sparked international concern.
Pakistani authorities have downplayed the significance of the strikes, insisting that only an "empty hillside" was hit. However, emerging satellite imagery and military analysis propose otherwise. Military experts suggest that the Kirana Hills region houses an underground nuclear weapons storage complex. Evident entrances and reinforced tunnel structures, visible in satellite images over the years, support speculation about its strategic value. Defense analysts claim the site was likely hit with bunker-penetrating munitions, indicating a deliberate attempt to cripple sensitive infrastructure.
Concerns arose that targeting such a site could trigger a nuclear catastrophe. However, analysts point out that nuclear weapons are built with extensive safeguards preventing detonation from conventional attacks. The United States and the Soviet Union, during the Cold War, experienced accidents involving nuclear weapons, none of which resulted in uncontrolled detonations. Experts suggest that any potential radiation leaks would likely remain contained within the mountain's subterranean layers.
Amid escalating tensions, a missile strike on Rawalpindi's Noor Khan airbase, near Pakistan's nuclear weapons control headquarters, served as a warning that India could neutralize Pakistan's nuclear command authority if necessary. Reports suggest that India also struck the Sargodha air base, which allegedly holds underground nuclear storage under the Kirana Hills. The Kirana Hills site reportedly has deep underground sites with at least six visible entrances, as evidenced by Google Maps.
Government sources indicate that India has called Pakistan's nuclear-deterrence bluff after retaliating against the terrorist attack. A top government official stated that while India takes the nuclear threat seriously, it cannot serve as cover for Pakistan to engage in terrorism.
Following the strikes, a U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) aircraft was tracked en route to a nuclear storage facility in Pakistan. The aircraft, a Beechcraft B350, was deployed following the strikes on multiple Pakistani military and nuclear sites, including Nur Khan, Sargodha, Jacobabad, Bholari, and Kirana Hills. This deployment underscores international concern over the stability of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Analysts suggest that India's strikes were strategically planned to render Pakistan's nuclear option ineffective amid heightened geopolitical tensions.
