Latest news with #militaryclashes
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
India's military chief admits jets downed in recent clashes with Pakistan
NEW DELHI: India's military chief Gen. Anil Chauhan has confirmed for the first time that the Indian Air Force lost jets in clashes with Pakistan in May. Earlier this month, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country shot down six Indian jets, an assertion that Delhi had refrained from commenting on. Chauhan, chief of defense staff of the Indian Armed Forces, is the first Indian official to make the most direct admission over the fate of the country's fighter jets during the conflict that erupted on May 7. 'What is important is that, not the jet being downed, but why they were being downed,' Chauhan told Bloomberg TV in an interview on Saturday, while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. 'The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it and then implement it again after two days and fly all our jets again, targeting at long range.' Pakistan's claims of shooting down six Indian combat aircraft were 'absolutely incorrect,' Chauhan said, without specifying how many jets India lost. India and Pakistan recently saw their worst clashes in half a century, during which both sides traded air, drone and missile strikes, as well as artillery and small arms fire along their shared border. It was triggered by a gruesome attack on tourists near the resort town of Pahalgam in Indian Kashmir on April 22, in which 26 people — 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen — were killed. Bharat Karnad, an emeritus professor for National Security Studies at the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, said that the Indian Air Force may have underestimated its Pakistani counterpart. 'Initially, Indians were surprised. Maybe they underestimated the capacity of the Pakistani Air Force,' Karnad told Arab News on Saturday. 'I think what was surprising was that India did not use the airborne early warning (and) control system, the NETRA, which Pakistan has used very well,' he said. 'I'm not sure how much the Indian Air Force expected this kind of tactical innovation. So, this is something that the Indian Air Force realized very quickly.' According to Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, a retired officer of the Indian Air Force, Pakistan benefited from its Chinese-made weapons during the early May conflict. 'This brings us to the lessons which underscore that India was not fighting Pakistan on one front but two countries: Pakistan and China,' Kak told Arab News. 'Every single superior technology, capability, operationally and tactically, or in strategic terms, are made available to Pakistan. That must concern us: What kind of force structure we must have and what kind of capabilities we must build against the combo.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Pakistan Says Clashes with Neighbor India Killed More Than 50
Pakistan's army said on Tuesday that more than 50 people were killed in last week's military clashes with India which ended in a ceasefire agreed by the nuclear-armed neighbors, restoring peace to their border. The arch rivals fired missiles and drones targeting each other's military installations after India said it struck "terrorist infrastructure" sites in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday in retaliation for an attack on tourists. Pakistan said the targets were all civilian. Its military said the dead in the attacks comprised 40 civilians and 11 of its armed forces. India has said at least five military personnel and 16 civilians died. Both agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday, following diplomacy and pressure from the United States. The Indian military has said its bases are operational, despite minor damage. It was a "very special experience to be with those who epitomize courage, determination and fearlessness", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, in comments posted on X accompanying photographs of his visit to the Adampur air base. The base near the border in India's northern state of Punjab is a strategic location for its air force. On Monday, Modi warned Pakistan that New Delhi would again target "terrorist hideouts" across the border if there were new attacks on India and would not be deterred by what he called Islamabad's "nuclear blackmail". India blames Pakistan for an attack in Kashmir on April 22 targeting Hindu tourists that killed 26 men. Islamabad denies the accusations. Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan both rule part of the Himalayan region of Kashmir, but claim it in full. The neighbors have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over the region and there have been several other limited flare-ups, including in 1999 and 2019. India has said the military operations chiefs of both nations spoke by telephone on Monday, reiterating their commitment to halt firing and consider steps to reduce troops on the border. Pakistan has not provided details of the call.
Reuters
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Indian border villagers want recompense for damages in Pakistan clashes
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, May 13 (Reuters) - Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan are maintaining a ceasefire that ended four days of intense military clashes, but many in the Indian-ruled part of disputed Kashmir are demanding compensation for damages from cross-border firing. Hundreds of villagers evacuated their homes as the rivals targeted each other's military installations with missiles and drones, killing about 70 civilians, after New Delhi struck what it called terrorist camps across the border. Many returned to find their homes destroyed or roofless. "Where will we go with our kids? We don't have anywhere to live and anything to eat," said Roshan Lal, from the village of Kot Maira in Akhnoor in India's district of Jammu, about 7 km (4 miles) from the de facto border. The shelling had left his home uninhabitable, the 47-year-old added. "I want to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for justice," he said. "We need compensation for the damages." In the nearby village of Pahari Wala, farmer Karan Singh said he buried seven cattle in his field, while his family are living in makeshift shelters. "I left the village when the conflict began," he said. "We don't have a place to stay." In Salamabad, a border village in the Kashmir Valley, shelling injured Badrudin Naik and his six-year-old son, but both returned home after five days. "I am happy to return," he said. "But my house is damaged. My two uncles' houses were completely destroyed. We want a permanent peace as it is we on the border who suffer more." Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan, which both rule part of Kashmir, but claim it in full, have fought two of their three wars over the region and engaged in several smaller clashes over the decades. Teams have fanned out in the region to assess damage to homes, shops and other facilities, said a senior local government official, who sought anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media. "Today our teams have gone to the areas which were affected," he said, adding, "The government will decide the amount of compensation." On Monday, Modi warned Pakistan that New Delhi would target "terrorist hideouts" across the border again if there were new attacks on India. Pakistan denies Indian accusations of supporting militants who attack India. Standing in front of the cracked wall of his Pahari Wala home, Joginder Lal said Modi should ignore U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced the ceasefire, saying Washington had played a role in halting the fighting. "We want to take full revenge against Pakistan," the 60-year-old added.
Reuters
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Pakistan says clashes with neighbour India killed more than 50
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI, May 13 (Reuters) - Pakistan's army said on Tuesday that more than 50 people were killed in last week's military clashes with India which ended in a ceasefire agreed by the nuclear-armed neighbours, restoring peace to their border. The arch rivals fired missiles and drones targeting each other's military installations after India said it struck "terrorist infrastructure" sites in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday in retaliation for an attack on tourists. Pakistan said the targets were all civilian. Its military said the dead in the attacks comprised 40 civilians and 11 of its armed forces. India has said at least five military personnel and 16 civilians died. Both agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday, following diplomacy and pressure from the United States. The Indian military has said its bases are operational, despite minor damage. It was a "very special experience to be with those who epitomise courage, determination and fearlessness", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, in comments posted on X accompanying photographs of his visit to the Adampur air base. The base near the border in India's northern state of Punjab is a strategic location for its air force. On Monday, Modi warned Pakistan that New Delhi would again target "terrorist hideouts" across the border if there were new attacks on India and would not be deterred by what he called Islamabad's "nuclear blackmail". India blames Pakistan for an attack in Kashmir on April 22 targeting Hindu tourists that killed 26 men. Islamabad denies the accusations. Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan both rule part of the Himalayan region of Kashmir, but claim it in full. The neighbours have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over the region and there have been several other limited flare-ups, including in 1999 and 2019. India has said the military operations chiefs of both nations spoke by telephone on Monday, reiterating their commitment to halt firing and consider steps to reduce troops on the border. Pakistan has not provided details of the call.
NHK
10-05-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Pakistan says India fired missiles at three military bases
Pakistan says Indian forces carried out a missile attack targeting three of its military bases, but reports no damage. A spokesperson for the Pakistani military said on state-run television on Saturday that the missiles were fired from Indian aircraft. The spokesperson said the targeted bases were in the city of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad and other locations, but that most of the missiles were intercepted by air defense systems. Pakistani state television cites sources as saying that retaliatory measures are underway. The tit-for-tat military clashes between the two countries have been continuing for the past several days. On Wednesday, the Indian military carried out a missile strike on the Pakistani side in retaliation for last month's deadly assault in the India-controlled part of Kashmir. The two neighbors later accused each other of carrying out drone and other attacks. India says the country was hit by more than 300 drones from Pakistan from Thursday through Friday.
