Operation Sindoor: IAF Chief Reveals Biggest-Ever Kill in Strikes on Pakistan, Says ‘Aur Maarna Tha

Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Saturday shared rare insights into Operation Sindoor, India’s high-precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Speaking in Bengaluru during the 16th Air Chief Marshal LM Katre Memorial Lecture on August 9, Singh said that many people close to him told him after the operation, “Aur maarna tha” — meaning, “You should have hit them more.”

Recalling the night of the strikes, Singh said, “We were actually on a song that night. I hear from so many people. People very close to me all said, ‘Aur maarna tha.’”

The IAF chief revealed that the mission resulted in the shooting down of five Pakistani fighter jets and one large aircraft, marking India’s largest-ever recorded surface-to-air kill. “We have an indication of at least one AWC in that hangar, and a few F-16s under maintenance. We have five fighters confirmed destroyed and one large aircraft — possibly an AWC — taken down from about 300 km away,” he stated.

The operation also led to several Pakistani UAVs, drones, and missiles falling within Indian territory. Acting on specific intelligence, the IAF struck key targets including the main airfield building used for planning, the Sukkur airbase UAV hangar, and radar sites.

Praising National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Singh credited him for bringing together multiple agencies and forces to ensure the operation’s success. He added that the biggest lesson from the mission was the reaffirmation of air power’s primacy in modern warfare, calling it the fastest, most precise, and least collateral form of strategic response.