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Game of Drones: How India and Pakistan have become entangled in a drone war
Things have escalated between Indian and Pakistan over the past few days.
The two countries now find themselves in a drone war.
Last night, Pakistan sent a slew of drones across the border with several places in Jammu as the target.
This came after Pakistan tried to hit over a dozen locations in western and northern India in response to India's Operation Sindoor.
India, meanwhile, said it had neutralised an air defence system in Lahore.
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But what happened? What do experts say?
Let's take a closer look
What is India saying?
As per The Guardian, India on Thursday said it had foiled missile and drone attacks by Pakistan on Jammu, Punjab and Rajasthan.
Locals in Jammu witnessed missiles and drones flying over the city.
Jammu also saw a city-wide blackout.
India said it had activated anti-drone systems near the border.
ANI reported that Pakistan had targetted Jammu with 'loitering munitions' drones.
The Indian Army, meanwhile, said it had intercepted eight missiles in aimed at different locations across Jammu.
India also said Pakistan tried to target its airbase in Punjab.
Locals in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer and Bikaner also witnessed missiles in the sky and heard shelling.
Missiles streak across the city sky, in Jammu on Thursday. PTI
India said it had neutralised all the missiles and drones from Pakistan.
This development came hours after India said it had neutralised a Pakistani air defence system in Lahore.
'Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan,' the ministry's statement read, as per Al Jazeera. 'It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.'
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'Any attack on military targets in India will invite a suitable response,' India added as per The Guardian.
India hours earlier said Islamabad had 'attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India' but was foiled.
India said Pakistan had tried to target Awantipora, Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarla and Bhuj.
'On the night of May 7-8, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks,' the statement read.
India used the S-400 system to down the missiles and drones.
What is Pakistan saying?
Pakistan accused India of sending a wave of drones overnight.
Pakistan claimed India sent drones to Lahore, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, Attock, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalpur, Miano, Chor, Ghotki and Karachi
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Pakistani army spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry claimed India had used the Israeli-made Harop drones against Pakistan.
These drones, also known as loitering munitions, are made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
'Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,' Chaudhry said as per Hindustan Times. 'One managed to engage in a military target near Lahore.'
As per Al Jazeera, Chaudhry accused India of 'naked aggression' and a 'serious provocation.'
Pakistani investigators examine a cordoned off site where Pakistan's air defense system shot down a suspected Indian drone in Karachi. AP
'It appears that India has apparently lost the plot and, rather than going on a path of rationality, is further escalating in a highly charged environment. Pakistan Armed Forces remain fully vigilant to any type of threat,' Chaudhry added.
As per The Guardian, Pakistan also denied it had launched attacks on India early on Thursday.
A military spokesperson called such claims 'phantom strikes'.
Speaking to the the newspaper, a senior Pakistani security official said, 'The offensive response will come now.'
What do experts say?
BBC pointed out that this is the first time that the two nations have conducted large-scale drone attacks on each other.
The outlets said things have taken a dangerous turn and the fact that Indian drones managed to reach that far into Pakistan would have come as an unpleasant surprise to Islamabad.
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'Probably, using the drones may be less expensive than using exorbitantly priced state-of-the-art fighter jets. If the drone warfare continues, then it's likely to cause further disruptions and anger on both sides,' the outlet noted.
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