Pakistan’s missile strike claim backfires after officer names airbases that aren’t real

A video of a Pakistani military officer claiming that missile strikes during cross-border tensions successfully hit two Indian airbases is drawing attention online after users pointed out that the locations he mentioned do not exist as operational airbases, per a report by NDTV.

The remarks surfaced in the aftermath of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor.

Claims linked to Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos

According to reports cited by NDTV, Pakistan launched a series of drone and missile attacks targeting Indian cities and defence infrastructure as part of Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos.

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Several attempts to breach Indian airspace were reported across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. On May 10, 2025, the Pakistani military also used the Fatah-1 guided artillery rocket during the offensive. The projectile was intercepted and destroyed mid-air by India’s air defence system over Sirsa in Haryana.

Amid these developments, a video interview featuring Pakistani military officer Captain Muneeb Zamal began circulating online.

Officer names airbases that ‘don’t exist’

In the clip, the officer claimed, "We were assigned two targets, Rajouri Airbase and Mamun Airbase, and we successfully engaged them."

However, social media users quickly highlighted problems with the statement. Rajouri is a district in Jammu and Kashmir but does not have an operational Indian Air Force base. Mamun, meanwhile, is known as a military cantonment area in Pathankot, Punjab, and is not classified as an airbase.

Captain Zamal also said that civilians present during missile launch preparations acted as a "confidence building" element during the operation.

Social media reacts

The video soon triggered sarcastic reactions online, with several users mocking the claim.

One X user wrote, "Archaeologists, cartographers, Google maps, and the Indian air force have launched a joint mission to locate legendary "Rajouri airbase and Mamun airbase"."

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Another post read, "Fateh-1 hits Rajouri and Mamun airbases so hard that they cease to even exist! Next Target: Atlantis?"

Meanwhile, debris believed to be from missiles and rockets was reportedly found in agricultural fields in Sirsa, Haryana, Barmer in Rajasthan and Jalandhar in Punjab.

Separately, in September 2025, suspected debris from a Fatah-1 missile was recovered from Srinagar’s Dal Lake.