INDIA LAUNCHES STRIKES ON PAKISTAN AFTER KASHMIR ATTACK

India has launched military strikes on Pakistan with Pakistan claiming it shot down five Indian Air Force jets, in an escalation that has pushed the two nations to the brink of a wider conflict.

The escalation puts the two neighbors with a long history of conflict, in dangerous territory, with Islamabad vowing to retaliate against India’s strikes and the international community calling for restraint.

New Delhi said the strikes are in response to the massacre of 26 people – mostly Indian tourists – who died in April when gunmen stormed a scenic mountain spot in the India-administered part of Kashmir, a disputed border region. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, which Islamabad denies.

Indian officials said nine sites were targeted, but claimed no Pakistani civilian, economic or military sites were struck, stating that the 25-minute operation targeted “terrorist infrastructure” belonging to two militant groups.