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India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate Missile Strikes Kill Dozens
India and Pakistan exchange airstrikes and fire along their border, killing dozens and escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.
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India fired missiles at Pakistan early Wednesday, claiming retaliation for last month's massacre of Indian tourists in Kashmir. Pakistan condemned the strikes as an "act of war" and asserted it downed several Indian fighter jets.
The strikes targeted at least nine sites in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Punjab province, killing over two dozen people, including women and children, and injuring 38 others. Pakistan's military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, reported that the missile strikes hit six locations.
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According to India's Defense Ministry, the strikes targeted areas "where terrorist attacks against India have been planned." However, Pakistan denied any involvement in the April attack that killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, in India-controlled Kashmir.
The escalation has raised concerns of an all-out conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate, stating, “Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given.”
The strikes hit sites in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Punjab province, including areas near banned militant groups' former headquarters. At least 26 people were killed, and 38 others injured in the strikes. Indian jets damaged infrastructure at a dam in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for maximum restraint, emphasizing the world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan. China, the largest investor in Pakistan, also urged calm, given its multiple border disputes with India, including in the Kashmir region.
Heavy exchanges of fire along the Line of Control in Kashmir resulted in additional casualties on both sides. Three Indian planes crashed in villages, two in India-controlled Kashmir and one in India's Punjab state. Indian politicians praised the operation, named "Sindoor," referencing the women who lost their husbands in the Kashmir attack. Pakistan's National Security Committee reserved the right to respond “in self-defense, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing.”
The situation remains volatile, with both countries on high alert. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi postponed his upcoming trip to Norway, Croatia, and the Netherlands amid the escalating tensions.
