Indian authorities said they hit nine camps believed to house militants responsible for April’s suicide attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists.
Pakistan’s military acknowledged the strikes and said 26 civilians—including women and children—were killed and 46 injured, with damage to homes and infrastructure.
Escalation in Kashmir
The operation marks New Delhi’s largest military action against Pakistan since the 1971 war. It follows a smaller 2019 raid by Indian jets in response to a suicide bombing blamed on Pakistan-based militants that killed over 40 paramilitary personnel.
Along the heavily militarized Line of Control in Kashmir, artillery exchanges continued after the air raids, reviving tensions that had frozen diplomatic ties: both countries have cut embassy staff and ordered each other’s nationals to depart.
International calls for restraint
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern and urged “maximum military restraint,” warning that “the world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was monitoring the border “closely” and would “engage in dialogue” to seek a peaceful settlement, while China likewise called for de-escalation.
Long-standing Kashmir dispute
India and Pakistan have fought three wars (1947, 1965, 1971) over Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region split between the two nuclear-armed rivals since independence from Britain in 1947.
Separatist and Islamist militant groups in Indian-administered Kashmir continue to press for either integration with Pakistan or full independence.
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Source: IAR, Reuters