NEW DELHI, Oct. 9 -- The four-day confrontation between India and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor in early May proved to the world how air power can be effectively used in shaping military outcomes in just a few days, chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said on Wednesday. He also awarded citations to a few Indian Air Force units, including a Rafale squadron, for their role during the operation. "India's bold and precise attacks (during Operation Sindoor) restored the rightful place of offensive air action in the national consciousness. Our robust air defence architecture and long-range surface-to-air missile systems limited the adversary's freedom to operate and ensured safety of our vital assets," Singh said at the 93rd IAF Day celebrations at the Hindon airbase. Operation Sindoor marked New Delhi's direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Between the launch of the operation and the ceasefire on May 10 evening, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, killing at least 100 terrorists, and the IAF struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations. "Our performance in Operation Sindoor fills us with professional pride," said Singh, who arrived in Hindon in a 1960s vintage Ford car pulled out of the Air Force museum for the function. Singh hailed the role of locally produced weapons during the confrontation....