At least 26 individuals were killed and 46 individuals were wounded on Wednesday as India launched airstrikes against Pakistan in what was described as an “act of war” by Pakistani officials.
According to ABC News, Pakistani officials claimed that Wednesday’s airstrikes left 26 people dead and at least 46 people injured in Pakistan. Fox News reported that India’s airstrikes come as tensions continue to rise between the two nuclear powers due to a terror attack last month that left 26 individuals dead in the Indian-controlled area of Kashmir. The outlet noted that Kashmir is a territory that has been heavily disputed by the two countries.
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature,” India’s Defense Ministry said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted.”
According to BBC, while India claimed that the airstrikes were targeted against “terror camps,” were not intended to escalate tensions between the two countries, and were not directed against Pakistani military, civilian, or economic targets, Pakistan threatened to issue a response to the airstrikes and fired artillery against the Indian-controlled area of Kashmir.
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“The treacherous enemy has launched a cowardly attack on five locations within Pakistan,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement obtained by BBC. “This heinous act of aggression will not go unpunished. Pakistan reserves the absolute right to respond decisively to this unprovoked Indian attack — a resolute response is already underway.”
The Pakistani prime minister emphasized that Pakistan is “fully prepared to confront and defeat any threat with our strength and determination.”
Asked about the situation in India, President Donald Trump said, “It’s a shame. We just heard about it just as we were walking in the doors of the Oval [Office]. I just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time. You know, they’ve been fighting for many, many decades and centuries, actually, if you really think about it.”
Trump added, “I just hope it ends very quickly.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also addressed the situation in a post on X Tuesday night, saying, “I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo @POTUS’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.”
According to BBC, a spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-general Antonio Guterres said Guterres is “very concerned” about the escalating tension between Pakistan and India and urged for “maximum military restraint” to be shown in the region.
