2 women colonels commanded India's Air Defence Units as Pakistan attempted attacks on Indian cities: Report

Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor, that was launched by India on Pakistan during the intervening night of May 6 and 7 with targetted attacks on terror infrastructure in Pakistan, also marked the combat debut for two women colonels who commanded two of the 25 places that were under attack when Pakistan fired drones and missiles from May 7 to May 10, Hindustan Times reported, citing sources that requested anonimity.

Reports said that the two women officers handled the Indian Army's Air Defence Units in Punjab's Pathankot and Rajasthan's Suratgarh - both of which were strategic locations and made headlines as Pakistan's attempts to attack were successfully foiled by the Indian Armed Forces.

Sources also told HT that the two CO's are the only women in their unit, with each unit having around 800 soldiers.

Women in the Indian Army

The Indian Army began appointing women as COs in 2023 when a special selection board to promote 108 women officers to the rank of colonel was held. The move to recruit women in the Indian Army was focused on ensuring gender parity and giving women new identities in the Armed Forces.

Right now, around 120 women are serving as Commanding Officers in the Indian Army and 60% of them are heading units in operational areas including locations in Northern and Eastern commands, notably important for guarding borders that India shares with the neighbouring countries.

Operation Sindoor

India initiated Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, launching coordinated strikes by the Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) on nine terrorist camps located within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These precision attacks reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 100 terrorists. The operation set off a four-day cycle of intense cross-border military exchanges, involving fighter aircraft, missiles, drones, long-range weaponry, and heavy artillery, before both nations agreed to a ceasefire on May 10.

During this period, the IAF carried out multiple strikes on Pakistani military installations, while Pakistan attempted to retaliate by targeting various strategic locations in northern and western India. The attempted targets included Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Suratgarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj.