NEW DELHI: Abdul Rauf, a top-ranking commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, has publicly acknowledged the devastating impact of the Indian military’s Operation Sindoor on the group’s headquarters. Addressing a fresh cohort of graduates at a ceremony in Muridke, he provided a rare and vivid account of the destruction visited upon their primary training facility during the strikes on May 6 and 7.Rauf’s address focused heavily on the physical obliteration of the site, specifically referencing a structure used as a mosque that served as a central hub for the organization. He described a scene of total ruin, noting that the building which once stood there has completely collapsed, leaving the ground unusable for their usual gatherings.“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,” he said.His testimony serves as the most detailed Lashkar confirmation yet of the significant losses in the Indian strike. This admission is particularly striking given the group’s tendency to downplay or outright ignore operational losses in an effort to maintain an image of invulnerability.Beyond the physical wreckage, the commander also inadvertently highlighted the strategic pressure the organization felt leading up to the strike. He revealed that the trainees participating in the graduation had actually been evacuated from the Muridke camp just moments before the Indian missiles struck.Rauf is a prominent ideological and operational leader who famously presided over the funeral rites for those killed during the initial waves of the strikes. While images of those burials had previously circulated and hinted at the severity of the casualties, Rauf’s latest remarks mark the final confirmation, leaving no room for denials.
