Multiple claims circulating on social media allege that Indian forces struck a nuclear arms storage facility in Pakistan’s Sargodha during ‘Operation Sindoor’. While the Mushaf airbase in Sargodha was confirmed as one of India’s missile targets, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, speaking at a press briefing on Monday, denied reports of any strike on the nearby nuclear facility at Kirana Hills.
“We have not hit Kirana Hills; I did not mention it in my briefing yesterday,” said Air Marshal Bharti.
The two sites are barely seven kilometres apart. Social media videos show dense plumes of smoke rising from the base of the rugged Kirana Hills. The absence of high-resolution satellite imagery makes it challenging to confirm whether nuclear assets, if any, at Kirana Hills were struck.
Geolocation by India Today’s Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team places the smoke near the hills, based on footage posted on the day of the strikes. Notably, Air Marshal Bharti also denied information regarding the existence of nuclear assets at Kirana Hills.
A viral video on social media features a man claiming that the Indian military launched missile strikes on Kirana Hills.
A 2023 report by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, an independent non-profit, identified Kirana Hills and nearby areas as a “subcritical nuclear test site.” The report, part of the Nuclear Notebook authored by scientists from the Federation of American Scientists, noted that the site likely includes munitions storage areas, TEL (Transporter Erector Launcher) garages, and at least 10 underground storage facilities.
Geolocation of the social media footage suggests the smoke’s source is less than a kilometre from the missile transport vehicle storage cited in the report. The impact site is also approximately 550 metres from a radar installation atop the hills. The distinctive hill formations in the analysed video closely match the terrain on Google Earth, with a nearby mosque visible in the footage further corroborating the location when compared to high-resolution satellite imagery.
The Sargodha Garrison, a large complex in and around Kirana Hills, is a nuclear test site reportedly used by Pakistan to advance its nuclear programme between 1983 and 1990. Directly northwest of a likely conventional munitions storage area, there are 10 potential TEL garages and two additional garages of different sizes, possibly for maintenance.
Senior researcher Matt Korda noted in the report that, unlike other TEL facilities across Pakistan, this TEL area lacks a standard layout and perimeter, possibly due to the garrison’s age.
To the east of the conventional munitions site lies an underground storage facility built into the hillside. Hans M. Kristensen and his team reported that “at least 10 underground facility entrances are visible through commercial satellite imagery, along with potential facilities for weapon and missile handling.”
Post-strike satellite imagery of the Kirana Hills complex was unavailable for further analysis.
OTHER SITES
Apart from Sargodha, Pakistan’s air bases housing Mirage III and Mirage V fighter jets—believed to have a nuclear delivery role—include Masroor and Rafiqui near Shorkot. While there is no official confirmation regarding Masroor, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army confirmed a strike on the Rafiqui airbase. A low-resolution satellite image of the base shows what appears to be a crater.
Satellite imagery and official sources confirm damage to the runway at the Mushaf airbase following the strike on May 10. Located around 10 km from Lahore, the base is home to F-16A/B fighter jets, which have a 1,600 km range and are likely equipped to carry a single nuclear bomb on the centreline pylon, according to the report. However, Pakistan is obligated to the United States not to modify these aircraft for nuclear weapon delivery.
