India and Pakistan are at war with each other after Delhi struck what it called " nine terrorist camps " overnight , prompting harsh threats of retaliation from Islamabad.
Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets, while condemning the "act of war" by India, vowing to retaliate after the missiles hit Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
The two sides exchanged heavy artillery fire along their disputed border until Wednesday, with Pakistan reporting 26 killed in Indian shelling, and India reporting 8 casualties.
After the evening attacks, the Indian military said that " justice has been served" , with Delhi adding that its actions " have been focused, measured and non-escalating in nature" .
But fears of a full-scale conflict between the two nuclear powers have escalated sharply in recent hours. India says it is striking bases used by those it blames for an attack on its side of Kashmir last month that was the worst massacre of civilians in India since 2008.
"No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets were hit in the missile attacks," the Indian side claims, but this claim has been strongly denied by Pakistani officials.
Fighter jets flew noisily in the skies over the Himalayan territory this morning and explosions were heard near the 'Line of Control', with the attack lasting 25 minutes.
"Justice has been served ," the Indian army wrote on Twitter, and "J ai Hind!! ," which translates to "victory for India."
In the hours that followed, the Indian military said Pakistan had "fired artillery" across the dividing lines in Kashmir in retaliation, accusing Islamabad of violating the 2020 ceasefire agreement.
" Pakistan again violated the Ceasefire Agreement by firing artillery in Bhimber Gali in Poonch-Rajauri sector, on the Indian side ," the Indian Army said in another post on X.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, condemned Wednesday's airstrikes and said that " the rogue enemy has carried out cowardly attacks on five locations in Pakistan ."
He vowed that his country would retaliate. " Pakistan has the right to give a strong response to this act of war imposed by India and a strong response is indeed being given ," Sharif said.
" The missiles hit six locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the eastern Punjab province, killing at least 26 people, including women and children ," said Pakistan's military spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif.
Sharif said Indian fighter jets also damaged infrastructure at a dam in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, calling it a violation of international norms.
One of the missiles hit the Subhan Mosque in the Punjab city of Bahawalpur, killing 13 people, including a child, according to doctor Zohaib Ahmed, while 38 others were injured in the attacks. (A2 Televizion)
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