Former CDS says loitering munition may have hit Kirana Hills in Operation Sindoor

Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on August 25, 2026, that a loitering munition deployed during Operation Sindoor may have struck the Kirana Hills area near Pakistan’s Sargodha. Nuclear-related facilities are located there. He spoke at the VIMARSH event on Operation Sindoor and its aftermath at the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi.

Chauhan explained that Indian forces had sent several loitering missions around Sargodha before the main strikes to search for radars. Kirana Hills lies about 10 kilometres north of Sargodha. The munitions had an endurance of around two hours. If they failed to locate a target within that period, they would descend and strike somewhere.

"It must have come and hit one of those hills," Chauhan said. He linked the possibility to images shown by Pakistani media of smoke rising from the area. During the operation itself, then Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal A.K. Bharti had stated that Indian forces did not target the nuclear facility at Kirana Hills and were unaware of its presence in that context.

Chauhan backed that earlier clarification. He said the hit, if it occurred, was not deliberate. The munitions were tasked with radar search, not with striking nuclear infrastructure. He also disclosed that the Air Chief had sought approval to strike Sargodha after Pakistan requested talks. Chauhan cleared the strike and asked for two additional targets. One identified was Skardu. Bad weather later led to a change of target to Bholari.

Operation Sindoor involved multiple waves of air attacks. Chauhan described May 10 as the third phase, during which the Indian Air Force carried out four waves. He noted that Pakistani forces folded up within about eight to eight and a half hours in certain accounts. Pakistan was unable to obtain clear evidence of targets hit despite attempts to access commercial satellite imagery, including from Chinese companies.

The remarks address long-standing questions about whether any Indian munition reached the hills associated with Pakistan’s nuclear storage. Chauhan framed the episode as an unintended consequence of the loitering systems’ limited flight time rather than a planned strike on nuclear assets. He stressed the need for continuous tactical adaptation to preserve surprise and operational success.

Kirana Hills has figured in public discussion of Pakistan’s nuclear infrastructure for years. Indian officials have consistently maintained that nuclear facilities were not targeted during the conflict. Chauhan’s account provides a mechanical explanation for the smoke reported by Pakistani outlets without altering the official position that the hills were not selected as a deliberate target.

The event offered one of the most detailed public accounts yet from a senior officer who held the top military post during the operation’s aftermath. Full operational records remain classified.