DIDpress – India and Pakistan exchanged missile strikes in a major escalation following a terrorist attack on April 22 in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 civilians. India’s “Operation Sindoor” targeted militant sites, including Jaish-e-Mohammed’s headquarters in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke, using precision missiles and drones in a tri-services offensive.
Pakistan condemned the strikes as an “act of war,” reporting nine civilian deaths, including three children in mosques, and 38 injuries in areas like Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bahawalpur. Pakistan’s military claimed it shot down five Indian aircraft and a drone, though India has not confirmed these losses. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed a forceful response, and Pakistan retaliated with missile strikes on Indian-administered Kashmir, targeting an Indian brigade headquarters and a post in the Dudhnial sector along the Line of Control. Pakistani artillery fire killed three civilians and injured five in India’s Kupwara district, according to Indian officials.
The conflict, rooted in the disputed Kashmir region, has led to airspace closures, emergency measures in Pakistan’s Punjab, and ongoing exchanges of fire along the Line of Control. The UN, U.S., and China urged de-escalation as fears of a broader war between the nuclear-armed neighbors grow.