ALL-OUT WAR BREWING? India launches missile strikes on Pakistan

International

INDIA has carried out a series of airstrikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor, was announced by India’s Ministry of Defence.

The airstrikes were in response to a recent militant attack that killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir, May 7.

Among the victims were 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, in what Indian authorities described as the deadliest attack on civilians in the region in two decades.

According to a BBC report, the Indian government said it targeted nine locations believed to house “terrorist infrastructure” used to plan and coordinate attacks.

Indian officials described the strikes as "focused, measured, and non-escalatory," stressing that no Pakistani military sites were hit.

Pakistan, however, has rejected those claims, calling the strikes “unprovoked aggression.” Officials said the Indian airstrikes struck civilian areas in Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Bahawalpur in Punjab province, killing at least eight civilians and injuring more than 30 others.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the action and

warned that it “will not go unpunished.”

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have been rising since the April 22 attack, during which militants reportedly singled out Hindu men. While no group has claimed responsibility, Indian authorities have alleged that two of the attackers were Pakistani nationals.

Pakistan denied involvement and has dismissed the allegations.

This latest flare-up follows a pattern seen in past years, such as the 2019 Pulwama attack that led to similar cross-border strikes. The international community has responded with concern, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging “maximum restraint” from both sides.(John Clyron Matillano CTU-TC Intern)