Muhamad Yehia..Cairo
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India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least 26 people including a child, in what Pakistan’s leader called an act of war.
India said it struck infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.
Pakistan claimed it shot down several Indian fighter jets in retaliation as two planes fell onto villages in India-controlled Kashmir. At least seven civilians were also killed in the region by Pakistani shelling, Indian police and medics said.
Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since the attack, which India has blamed Pakistan for backing. Islamabad has denied the accusation.
What to know:
- Strikes follow an attack on Kashmir: A deadly attack on tourists in the disputed region of Kashmir last month plunged relations between India and Pakistan to new lows. India accuses Pakistan of backing the massacre, in which 26 men, mostly Indian Hindus, were killed, a charge Pakistan denies. Both countries subsequently expelled diplomats and citizens, ordered the border shut and closed their airspace for each other.
- Scenes of panic and destruction: The missiles hit six locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the country’s eastern Punjab province, killing at least 26 people, including women and children, said Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif. India’s Defense Ministry said at least nine sites were targeted “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned.”
- Pakistan responds: In a statement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said “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 Indian army said that Pakistan fired artillery along what’s known as the de facto border in Bhimber Gali in India-controlled Kashmir.