IAEA Says No Radiation Leak From Pakistan Nuclear Facility

input: Vienna [Austria], May 15 : Days after India refuted reports that Pakistan's Kirana Hills area, which reportedly houses a nuclear facility, was hit during one of the airstrikes

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that there has been no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan, according to an email statement by the IAEA to ANI.

This statement comes days after India refuted reports that one of the airstrikes during Operation Sindoor hit Kirana Hills, an area in Pakistan reportedly housing a nuclear facility.

The global nuclear watchdog's statement to ANI follows inquiries regarding a possible nuclear leak in Pakistan.

Air Marshal AK Bharti, during a press briefing on Monday, said that the Indian Armed Forces did not target the nuclear facility at Kirana Hills in Pakistan.

Bharti's remarks came in response to a journalist's question about India's airstrikes hitting Kirana Hills, an area in northern Pakistan that houses a nuclear facility, during one of the seven-hour-long strikes on May 7.

"Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installation, we did not know about it. We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there."

Bharti's statement at the IHQ in New Delhi also mentioned that the aim of the strikes was not to occupy any territory but rather to inflict "unacceptable damage" on the terrorists and their infrastructure in order to disrupt their activities.

The Indian Armed Forces carried out strikes on nine terror sites in Pakistan and PoJK in the early hours of May 7 as part of Operation Sindoor, which was launched in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

The attack in Pahalgam, claimed by Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist group, killed 26 civilians, including one Nepali national, and injured several others.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the LoC and J&K, as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions.

Following the Pahalgam terror attack and Pakistan's retaliatory actions, India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across airbases in Pakistan.

The operation, which began at 12:30 am on Monday, saw Scorpios and other vehicles carry Special Forces personnel from the 7th Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles to Pahalgam, converging at the main square around 12:45 am.

The bodies of the victims, including women and children, were recovered from different parts of Pahalgam on Monday morning, and the injured were admitted to the local hospital.

The Pahalgam attack was the deadliest in recent times, highlighting the escalating threat posed by terrorists in the region.

India and Pakistan reached an understanding on the cessation of hostilities on Thursday, May 10, after a meeting between the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army and his counterpart in the Pakistan Army.

The understanding was reached over the hotline between the two DGMOs at 9:30 pm on Wednesday.

According to sources in the Indian Army, the two DGMOs reviewed the situation in detail and agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity along the Line of Control (LoC) and in all other sectors.

The two sides also discussed the modalities for the return of the mortal remains of those killed in the Pahalgam terror attack and the evacuation of civilians stranded in the wake of the cross-border shelling in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pahalgam terror attack had sparked outrage in India, with calls for swift and strong action against the perpetrators.

The Indian government also summoned the Pakistan Charge d'Affaires in Delhi and lodged a strong protest over the cross-border shelling and the drone attacks.

In the US, President Donald Trump spoke about the nuclear threat posed by the India-Pakistan standoff.

Trump said that the US had helped to broker peace between India and Pakistan, averting a nuclear war.

"We stopped a nuclear conflict. I think it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed. I also want to thank VP JD Vance and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, for their work," Trump said.

Trump's remarks come amid reports that one of the airstrikes carried out by the Indian Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor hit Kirana Hills in Pakistan, which reportedly houses a nuclear facility.

However, Air Marshal AK Bharti, while addressing a press briefing at IHQ in New Delhi on Monday, said that the Indian Armed Forces did not target the nuclear facility at Kirana Hills in Pakistan.

When asked by a journalist whether India had struck Kirana Hills, Air Marshal Bharti responded, "Thank you for telling us that Kirana. Hills houses some nuclear installation, we did not know about it. We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there."

The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and PoJK.

This operation was a retaliatory response to the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed the