India-Pakistan conflict: at least eight dead amid missiles, downed aircraft and prisoner seizures

India launched a missile strike against Pakistan. From the Indian Army they pointed out that "Operation Sindoor" was aimed at damaging "terrorist infrastructure" at nine different points, located both in Pakistan and in the part of Kashmir administered by this country. This is a territory where both nations have military assets and which has been provoking clashes for decades. Between the initial attack and the Pakistani response, at least eight deaths were reported.

Among the places attacked were Kotli, Ahmadpur East, Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Muridke.

"These measures come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack, in which 25 Indians and one Nepali national were killed," the Indian Defense Ministry explained in a statement, referring to the April 22 attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Tensions between the two countries with nuclear warheads have only escalated in recent months, reaching a peak with the aforementioned Pahalgam attacks. The Resistance Front group, a Pakistan-based offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack. "India has blamed Pakistan for backing the militant attack, something Islamabad has denied," they reported from The Associated Press.

"Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution," they added in the missive.

According to a statement from the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, their actions were “focused and precise” as well as “designed to be non-escalatory in nature.” "No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terrorist camps have been attacked," they added.

Pakistan's response

A few hours later, the Pakistani government announced that it had shot down five Indian planes and taken some Indian soldiers prisoner.

In turn, the Minister of Defense assured that they are willing to de-escalate the violence: "If these hostile acts are stopped.... We will certainly talk to India. We do not want this situation to escalate. But if there are hostile acts initiated from the Indian side we have to respond."

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