India fires attack drones into Pakistan and some shot down – Pakistani military

India has fired onslaught drones into Pakistan, with 1 wounding 4 soldiers, the Pakistani subject said, a time aft missiles struck respective locations and killed much than 2 twelve people.

Several drones were changeable down, officials said.

Hours aft the archetypal drone attacks, India’s Defence Ministry said it targeted aerial defence systems successful respective locations successful Pakistan, but did not accidental whether it utilized drones.

Tensions betwixt the nuclear-armed neighbours person soared since gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian Hindu tourists, successful India-controlled Kashmir past month.

India accused Pakistan of being down the battle but Islamabad denies that.

Indian strikes connected Wednesday killed 31 civilians, including women and children, according to Pakistani officials.

More radical were killed connected some sides of the borderline successful dense exchanges of occurrence that followed. It was their worst confrontation since 2019, erstwhile the rivals came adjacent to war.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to avenge the deaths successful the strikes, raising fears that the 2 countries could beryllium headed towards different all-out conflict.

The narration betwixt India and Pakistan has been shaped by struggle and communal suspicion, astir notably successful their competing claims implicit the Himalayan portion of Kashmir. They person fought 2 of their 3 wars implicit Kashmir, which is divided betwixt them and claimed by some successful its entirety.

India fired respective Israeli-made Harop drones astatine Pakistan overnight and into Thursday afternoon, according to service spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif.

Pakistani forces changeable down 25, helium said. A civilian was killed and different wounded erstwhile debris from a downed drone fell successful the state of Sindh.

One drone damaged a subject tract adjacent the metropolis of Lahore and wounded 4 soldiers, and different fell successful the garrison metropolis of Rawalpindi, adjacent the capital, according to Lt Gen Sharif.

“The equipped forces are neutralising them arsenic we speak,” helium said connected the state-run Pakistan Television aboriginal Thursday afternoon.

The Harop drone, produced by Israel’s IAI, is 1 of respective successful India’s inventory, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance report.

According to IAI, the Harop combines the capabilities of a drone and a rocket and tin run astatine agelong ranges.

In Lahore, section constabulary authoritative Mohammad Rizwan said a drone was downed adjacent Walton Airport, an airfield successful a residential country astir 16 miles from the borderline with India that besides contains subject installations.

Local media reported that 2 further drones were changeable down successful different cities successful the state of Punjab, of which Lahore is the capital.

In Punjab’s territory of Chakwal, a drone crashed into farmland. Authorities person secured the wreckage and are investigating the drone’s root and purpose.

With tensions high, India evacuated thousands of radical from villages adjacent the 2 countries’ highly militarised frontier successful Kashmir. Tens of thousands of radical slept successful shelters overnight, officials and residents said.

About 2,000 villagers besides fled their homes successful Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

Flights remained suspended astatine much than 2 twelve airports crossed bluish and occidental regions successful India, according to question advisories by aggregate airlines. Pakistan has suspended flights astatine 4 of its airports – Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Sialkot – according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

India’s Foreign Ministry said that 13 civilians were killed and 59 wounded the erstwhile time during exchanges of occurrence crossed the de facto border. An Indian worker was besides killed by shelling connected Wednesday, according to the Indian army.

Pakistani officials said six radical person been killed adjacent the highly militarised frontier successful exchanges of occurrence implicit the past day.