India says it attacked nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir
The Indian armed forces have confirmed it targeted nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir as part of “Operation Sindoor”.
A statement from the Indian armed forces reads:
A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.
Altogether, nine (9) sites have been targeted.
It said its actions have been “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature” and that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted, adding:
India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.
The statement says the strike comes in the wake of the “barbaric” attack in which dozens of Indians were murdered in Pahalgam in Kashmir.
Key events
Pakistan responding ‘forcefully’ to ‘act of war’ by India, says prime minister
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said India has carried out “cowardly” attacks on five locations in Pakistan-controlled territory.
In a statement posted to X, Sharif said:
Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given.
He said the “entire nation” stands with Pakistan’s armed forces on “how to deal with the enemy”.
Pakistan says it shot down two Indian jets
Pakistan’s air force has shot down two Indian jets in retaliation for the strikes on Pakistani-controlled territory, according to Pakistan security sources.
A statement from Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV says Pakistani forces are responding “forcefully” to India’s “aggression”.
All Pakistani air force aircraft are safe, it says, citing security sources, adding:
Pakistan armed forces are giving a befitting reply to the enemy’s aggression.
Shah Meer Baloch
India has fired at least three missiles from its airspace to three cities including two cities of the Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing at least two civilians and injuring more than a dozen, as per the initial updates says the director general (DG) of Pakistan’s armed forces media wing.
Pictures shared on social media showed a bloodied child lying dead and seriously injured in a pool of blood on stretchers.
In a video widely shared on Twitter/X, a huge blast lights up the area with thunderous sound and smoke billowing.
The missile attacks were reported around 1 am local time.
DG of Pakistan’s armed forces Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan will give a befitting response to the “cowardly” attacks on civilians by India.
A few hours before the attacks, Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, said a clash with India “can happen anytime” as tensions between the nuclear-armed states increased between the two countries in the wake of the 22 April militant attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed.
India had blamed Pakistan for the terrorist attack. Islamabad had rejected New Delhi’s accusations and asked for a transparent investigation.
US president Donald Trump was just asked about the Indian missile strikes into Pakistani-controlled territory.
“It’s a shame,” Trump told reporters. “We just heard about it.”
He said “people knew something was going to happen based on the past” because both sides have been fighting “for many, many decades and centuries.”
“I just hope it ends very quickly,” Trump added.
At least three killed and 12 injured, says Pakistan military spokesperson
An initial damage assessment of the Indian missile strikes shows at least three people were killed and 12 others injured in missile strikes by India in Pakistani-controlled territory, a Pakistan military spokesperson has said.
Kotli, Bahawalpur’s Ahmedpur East, Bagh, Muzaffarabad and Muridke were struck in the attack, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Geo News, Dawn newspaper reports. It cites him as saying:
In Ahmedpur East, we have information about the martyrdom of a child and 12 people injured … Two civilians were martyred in Kotli.
Dawn also quotes the Pakistan military spokesperson as saying:
We know that a mosque was struck [in Ahmedpur]; ordinance landed on a house near it … Parents and a child are stuck and being rescued.
India’s armed forces have said Pakistan has “again violate[d] the ceasefire agreement by firing artillery in Bhimber Gali in Poonch-Rajauri area”.
The Indian army is “responding appropriately in a [calibrated] manner”, it says in a post on X.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said all domestic and international flights on the ground have been put on hold.
All inbound and outbound flights are being diverted to Karachi, it said.
Authorities have advised passengers not to come to the airport and to return home.
At least one child killed and two injured, say Pakistan officials
At least one child was killed and two others wounded after India fired missiles across the border into Pakistani-controlled territory early on Wednesday, Pakistani security officials said.
Dawn newspaper cites a statement by Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV News:
In the cowardly attack, one innocent child has been martyred so far, while one woman and one man are seriously injured.
Pakistan says it will respond to ‘heinous provocation’
Here’s more from the Pakistan military spokesperson, who said India fired missiles across the border in three locations on Wednesday.
ARY News, citing Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, says India fired missiles from its airspace which hit areas in Kotli, Muzaffarabad and Bahawalpur.
The spokesperson said Pakistan’s air force responded quickly to the missile attack, activating its defense systems and preventing any Indian aircraft from penetrating Pakistani airspace.
Dawn newspaper cites Chaudhry as saying:
Let me say it unequivocally: Pakistan will respond to this at a time and place of its own choosing. This heinous provocation will not go unanswered.
Indian army says ‘justice is served’ after attack
We reported earlier that the Indian armed forces said it targeted nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian army has also posted to X, writing “Justice is Served” and “Jai Hind!”, meaning “victory to India”.
The post is accompanied by the hashtag #PahalgamTerrorAttack, referring to the deadly militant attack last month that killed 26 people.
Multiple loud explosions heard in Pakistani Kashmir – reports
Multiple loud explosions were heard in the mountains around the city of Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir, as well as in two other places in the region, Reuters reported, citing witnesses and a Pakistani TV channel.
After the explosions, Muzaffarabad’s power was blacked out, the witnesses said.
India says it attacked nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir
The Indian armed forces have confirmed it targeted nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir as part of “Operation Sindoor”.
A statement from the Indian armed forces reads:
A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.
Altogether, nine (9) sites have been targeted.
It said its actions have been “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature” and that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted, adding:
India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.
The statement says the strike comes in the wake of the “barbaric” attack in which dozens of Indians were murdered in Pahalgam in Kashmir.
Pakistan says it was attacked by India with missiles
A Pakistani military spokesperson has said India attacked Pakistan in three locations with missiles on Wednesday.
Multiple loud explosions were heard in the Pakistani Kashmir area close to the mountains around the city of Muzaffarabad after midnight on Tuesday, Reuters reports, citing multiple witnesses.
After the explosions, the city’s power was blacked out, according to the witnesses.
It comes amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following an attack in Kashmir last month, which left 26 Indian nationals killed and 10 injured after suspected militants opened fire at a popular local tourist destination.
