India says killed over 100 militants in Pakistan strikes, Islamabad says 26 Indian military targets hit
ISLAMABAD: India's military strikes into Azad Kashmir and Pakistan last week killed more than 100 militants including prominent leaders, the head of India's military operations said on Sunday.
Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, the director general of military operations, said India's armed forces struck nine militant infrastructure and training facilities, including sites of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group that India blames for carrying out major militant strikes in India and the disputed region of Kashmir.
'We achieved total surprise,' Ghai said at a news conference in New Delhi, adding Pakistan's response was 'erratic and rattled.'
The two countries agreed to a truce on Saturday after talks to defuse their most serious military confrontation in decades. The two armies exchanged gunfire, artillery strikes, missiles and drones that killed dozens of people.
As part of the ceasefire, the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to immediately stop all military action on land, in the air and at sea. On Sunday, Pakistan's military said it did not ask for a ceasefire, as claimed by India, but rather it was India that had sought the ceasefire.
At a televised news conference, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan's armed forces targeted a total of 26 Indian military installations in response to India's missile strikes which were launched before dawn Wednesday.
He said the military had vowed it would respond to the Indian aggression, and it has fulfilled its commitment to the nation. Sharif warned that any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty or territorial integrity would be met with a 'comprehensive, retributive, and decisive' response.
He said Pakistan exercised 'maximum restraint' during the counterstrike, employing medium-range missiles and other munitions, and that no civilian areas were targeted inside India.
Competing claims of how many killed
The escalation in violence began last week after a gun massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied any involvement.
Ghai said at least 35 to 40 Pakistani soldiers were killed in clashes along the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan. Five Indian soldiers were also killed, he said.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday said his country's armed forces had killed 40 to 50 Indian soldiers along the Line of Control.
Following India's Wednesday strikes, Pakistan sent drones multiple times in many locations in Kashmir and Indian cities that were neutralized, said Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, the operations head of the Indian air force. He said India responded with 'significant and game-changing strikes' Saturday, hitting Pakistan's air bases.
Bharti refused to comment on Pakistani claims of shooting down five Indian fighter jets, but said 'we are in a combat scenario and losses are a part of combat.' He claimed India also 'downed (a) few planes' but did not offer any evidence.
The Associated Press could not independently verify all the actions attributed to India or Pakistan.
Saturday's ceasefire was shaken just hours later by overnight fighting in disputed Kashmir, as each side accused each other of repeatedly violating the deal. Drones were also spotted Saturday night over Indian-controlled Kashmir and the western state of Gujarat, according to Indian officials.
People on both sides of the Line of Control reported heavy exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops. The fighting subsided by Sunday morning.
In the Poonch area of Indian-administered Kashmir, people said the intense shelling from the past few days had traumatized them.
'Most people ran as shells were being fired,' said college student Sosan Zehra, who returned home Sunday. 'It was completely chaotic.'
In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir's Neelum Valley, which is 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the Line of Control, residents said there were exchanges of fire and heavy shelling after the ceasefire began.
'We were happy about the announcement but, once again, the situation feels uncertain,' said Mohammad Zahid.
Indian and Pakistan officials to speak Monday
US President Donald Trump was the first to post about the ceasefire deal, announcing it on his Truth Social platform. Indian and Pakistani officials confirmed the news shortly after.
Pakistan has thanked the US, and especially Trump, several times for facilitating the ceasefire.
India has not said anything about Trump or the US since the deal was announced. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on Sunday with top government and military officials.
India and Pakistan's top military officials are scheduled to speak today, Monday.
India and Pakistan have fought daily since Wednesday along the rugged and mountainous Line of Control, which is marked by razor wire coils, watchtowers and bunkers that snake across foothills populated by villages, tangled bushes and forests.
They have routinely blamed the other for starting the skirmishes, while insisting they themselves were only retaliating.
Kashmir is split between the two countries and claimed by both in its entirety.
They have fought two of their three wars over the region and their ties have been shaped by conflict, aggressive diplomacy and mutual suspicion, mostly due to their competing claims
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Thousands march in Rome to protest ‘complicity' on Gaza war
Hundreds of thousands of people marched through the streets of Rome on Saturday to protest the war in Gaza in a rally called by opposition parties denouncing the government's alleged 'complicity' in the conflict. 'Stop the massacre, stop complicity!' read a wide banner held by protestors at the start of the march, amid a sea of red, white and green Palestinian flags, peace flags and 'Free Palestine' signs. The peaceful protest attracted a massive crowd -- estimated by organizers at 300,000 people. Police had not provided official size estimates. It made its way from Rome's central Piazza Vittorio to San Giovanni, where speakers took to a stage to urge an end to the violence and denounce what some called the silence of the far-right Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, called the turnout 'an enormous popular response' in opposition to the war. Italy's Five Star Movement and the Greens-Left Alliance were also behind the protest. The demonstration was 'to say enough to the massacre of Palestinians, to say enough to the crimes of Netanyahu's far-right government' and to show the world 'another Italy', Schlein told journalists. 'An Italy that does not keep silent as the Meloni government does, an Italy that instead wants peace, wants an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, humanitarian aid, and wants recognition of the state of Palestine,' she said. Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations warned in May that the entire population was at risk of famine. In Italy, Meloni has been pushed by the opposition to condemn the actions of Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza, but her criticism has been tempered. Last month, Meloni called the humanitarian situation 'increasingly dramatic and unjustifiable' and said she had had 'often difficult conversations' with Netanyahu, while at the same time noting that 'it was not Israel that started the hostilities.' Many protesters came from across Italy to participate in the demonstration in the capitol, including Gabriella Branca, a lawyer from Genoa. 'It's unbearable to witness the massacre of 60,000 people, including 20,000 children. We have to say enough,' the 67-year-old told AFP. 'In other countries, as you know, demonstrations have drawn millions of people, so I hope that today in Rome we can send a signal to all of Italy, so that everyone takes to the streets to say enough and above all, to try to find peace,' she said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
UK and India Discuss ‘Counter-Terrorism' Cooperation After Pakistan Ceasefire
Britain and India on Saturday discussed expanding their "counter-terrorism" collaboration following recent fighting between India and Pakistan, Britain's foreign minister told Reuters after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. British foreign minister David Lammy is the highest-profile Western official to have visited both New Delhi and Islamabad since the South Asian neighbors agreed to a ceasefire last month after their worst fighting in nearly three decades. The latest tensions began in April after the killing of 26 men in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied. India then attacked what it called "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan, leading to escalation from both sides until a May 10 ceasefire. "We want the situation to be maintained, but of course we recognize fragility, particularly in the backdrop of terrorism, terrorism designed to destabilize India," Lammy said in an interview at the residence of the British High Commissioner in New Delhi. "We are keen to continue to work with our Indian partners on counter-terrorism measures." He said he discussed the next steps with both Modi and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, but gave no specifics. Last year, India and Britain discussed combating the financing of terrorism, cooperation between law enforcement and judicial bodies and information sharing. Lammy said he also discussed boosting trade between the world's fifth and sixth largest economies. The countries concluded talks for a free trade deal early last month. "I know that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is very much looking forward to coming to India very soon to sign the free trade agreement," Lammy said. "There is so much that our two nations can continue to do together."
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan PM exchanges Eid greetings with leaders of Azerbaijan, Qatar, Tajikistan
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif exchanged Eid Al-Adha greetings with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Qatar, Malaysia, Tajikistan and Malaysia on Saturday, his office said, vowing to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation with them. Pakistan is celebrating Eid Al-Adha, one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar, today, Saturday. Muslims mark the Eid Al-Adha holiday in Pakistan and around the world by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats, and the meat is shared among family and friends and donated to the poor. Sharif conveyed Eid greetings to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, his family and the people of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement. 'The two leaders reaffirmed their shared resolve to further strengthen Pakistan-Azerbaijan bilateral cooperation and looked forward to their upcoming interactions, including at the ECO Summit in Azerbaijan in early July as well as during President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Islamabad later this year,' the PMO said. The Pakistani premier separately spoke to Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to convey his Eid greetings to him. Sharif thanked the Qatari leader for his country's 'proactive diplomacy' and constructive role in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India during their conflict in May. 'The two leaders also reiterated their common desire to expand ties between both countries, particularly through mutually beneficial trade and investment,' the PMO said. The Pakistani prime minister also spoke to Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, thanking him for his hospitality during Sharif's recent visit to Dushanbe. 'The Prime Minister also thanked Tajikistan for its balanced position calling for peace and dialogue, during the recent Pakistan-India crisis,' the statement said. On bilateral relations, the two leaders expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of ties, which were growing steadily across all areas of mutual interest, it added. Sharif had also spoken to the prime minister of Malaysia earlier in the day to thank him for his support to Pakistan during Islamabad's conflict with New Delhi. Both leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Malaysia.
