India And Pakistan Accuse Each Other Of Drone Strikes—As U.S. Consulate Staff In Lahore Asked To Shelter In Place
by Siladitya Ray · ForbesTopline
Officials in India said they “neutralized” an attempt by Pakistan to launch drone strikes on Indian military targets, while the Pakistan military claimed it successfully shot down 25 drones launched by India since Wednesday night, as tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbors continued to spiral.
Key Facts
The Indian defense ministry claimed Pakistani drones and missiles were fired at “a number of military targets in Northern and Western India,” but were “effectively neutralized” by its air defense systems.
New Delhi said it retaliated against this attack by targeting “Air Defence Radars and systems in various locations in Pakistan.”
Indian officials claimed they have “reliably learnt” that an air defense system in Lahore has been “neutralized”—a claim Pakistani officials have not commented on yet.
The Pakistani military also issued a statement saying they had successfully shot down 25 Israeli-made drones launched by India since Wednesday night.
The Pakistani statement denounced the drone attack, calling it “cowardly” and saying it was “clear evidence of India’s worry and panic.”
How Have U.s. Officials Reacted To The Latest India-Pakistan Escalation?
It is unclear if the drone attacks are still ongoing, but the U.S. consulate general in Lahore issued an advisory on Thursday afternoon local time, restricting the movement of all staffers and directing them to “shelter-in-place,” citing reports of “drone explosions” and “airspace incursions” in and around the city. Consulate officials also noted they have “received initial reports that authorities may be evacuating some areas adjacent to Lahore’s main airport.” The advisory urged U.S. citizens in areas of active conflict to “leave if they can do so safely” or “shelter-in-place.”
What Do We Know About The Death Toll From The India-Pakistan Clashes?
India’s defense ministry claimed 16 civilians were killed due to cross border shelling by Pakistan since Wednesday and the toll includes three women and five children. Pakistani officials say the attacks by India have claimed at least 31 lives and left dozens injured.
Tangent
Tensions along the border have reportedly forced Indian officials to move an Indian Premier League cricket match from the mountain town of Dharmshala to Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat. The Punjab Kings were scheduled to host the Mumbai Indians team for an IPL game Sunday.
What Do We Know About India’s Airstrikes On Pakistan?
India’s military launched a series of airstrikes on what it claimed was “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan a few hours after midnight local time Wednesday. The missile strikes came just two weeks after India accused Pakistan of being involved in a deadly terror attack that killed 26 civilians in a tourist resort town in Indian-administered Kashmir. The missile strikes, which were conducted under the name “Operation Sindoor,” targeted nine locations, where New Delhi alleged “terrorist attacks against India have been planned.” Indian officials insisted the strikes were “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature,” adding that they did not target any Pakistani military infrastructure. Pakistan denounced the strikes, calling them an “unprovoked and blatant act of war” that “violated Pakistan’s sovereignty.” Islamabad, which has denied its involvement in the Kashmir attack, accused India of using the “false pretext of the presence of imaginary terrorist camps” to strike its territory. Pakistan’s leadership claimed, without sharing evidence, that it had responded to the strikes by shooting down five Indian fighter jets, a claim India has not commented on.
Further Reading
Pakistan Says 31 Killed After India Launches Airstrikes (Forbes)