Ex-CDS Anil Chauhan says India did not target Kirana Hills; loitering munition struck site inadvertently

Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday said India did not deliberately target Pakistan’s Kirana Hills nuclear facility during Operation Sindoor last year, but an Indian loitering munition may have inadvertently struck the area.

Chauhan said India had deployed several loitering munitions to target radars around Sargodha, located about 10 km south of Kirana Hills. He said one of the weapons may have struck the hills after failing to identify a target within its operating time.

“Before those strikes, we had sent a lot of loiter ammunition at Sargodha, and Kirana Hills is 10 km north of Sargodha,” Chauhan was quoted as saying by ANI. He explained that the munitions were programmed to search for radars around Sargodha and could loiter for about two hours before striking a target if they failed to find one.

India Had Denied Targeting Kirana Hills

Kirana Hills is a rocky mountain range in Pakistan’s Sargodha district and is a designated area under the country’s defence ministry.

Former Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti had also said on May 12 last year that Indian forces had not targeted the Kirana Hills nuclear facility.

“Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installation. We did not know about it. And we have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there,” Bharti had said at a press conference.

What Happened During Operation Sindoor?

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, days after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people. The tri-services operation targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian government said more than 100 terrorists were killed in the strikes.

Pakistan subsequently launched retaliatory attacks, prompting further military action by India. On May 10, Pakistan’s military contacted its Indian counterpart, leading to an understanding on stopping military action.

Following the operation, speculation circulated that India had struck the Mushaf Airbase in Sargodha, allegedly linked to underground nuclear storage beneath Kirana Hills. The Indian Air Force denied targeting the nuclear facility at the time, a position reiterated in subsequent statements.