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Pakistan says retaliatory strikes under way after accusing India of targeting military bases India and Pakistan accuse each other of cross-border attacks on military bases
(about 3 hours later)
Pakistan officials confirm counterattack against India has begun under the name Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos, meaning ‘wall of lead’ in Arabic Claims of missile attacks on targets deep inside both countries marks the steepest escalation in confrontation yet
Pakistan said it had begun retaliation strikes after accusing India of targeting three of its military bases with missiles fired from fighter jets, in a major escalation of the brewing conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. India and Pakistan have accused each other of cross-border missile strikes against major military targets, the most significant escalation so far in the brewing conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistan military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said India had fired six surface-to-air missiles targeting Nur Khan, Murid and Shorkot, three of Pakistan’s most important military bases, early on Saturday morning. He said most were intercepted by Pakistani air defences. On Saturday, India accused Pakistan of launching strikes on dozens of airbases and military headquarters across north India, using long-range weapons, drones and fighter aircraft. The accusations came a few hours after Pakistan said India had fired six surface-to-air missiles targeting three of Pakistan’s most important military bases early on Saturday morning.
Shortly afterwards, Pakistan officials confirmed they had begun their counter-attack against India, under the name Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos, a phrase from the Qur’an roughly translating to “wall of lead”.Shortly afterwards, Pakistan officials confirmed they had begun their counter-attack against India, under the name Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos, a phrase from the Qur’an roughly translating to “wall of lead”.
Pakistan said the retaliation strikes targeted Indian army infrastructure and bases, including Pathankot military air field and the BrahMos missile storage site in the Indian state of Punjab as well as Udhampur air force base in Indian-administered Kashmir. Explosions and shelling from anti-aircraft guns was heard in the vicinity of all the sites. Loud explosions were also heard in the Indian-Kashmir city of Srinagar. The claims of missile attacks on military targets deep inside India and Pakistan were seen as a worrying escalation in hostilities, bringing the two countries the closest they have been to war in decades.
Pakistan‘s planning minister Ahsan Iqbal told local media that “special measures” had been taken to avoid civilian targets in India and that they were striking military locations that had been used to target Pakistan. “We would hate to see the nuclear threshold being breached,” said Iqbal. According to the Indian army spokesperson Col Sofiya Qureshi, Pakistan struck first on Saturday. At a press conference, the Indian army accused Pakistan of attacking 26 sites in India, including the Pathankot military airfield in Punjab, Srinagar airport and Udhampur air force base in Indian-administered Kashmir, as well as “deplorable and cowardly” attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Cities and districts in Punjab, Haryana and across Indian-administered Kashmir were put on red alert, with residents told to remain indoors and blackout orders enforced. Qureshi said the “Indian Armed Forces successfully neutralised these threats” but added that some damage was done to equipment and personnel at four airbases. The foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, said claims by Pakistani media that airbases and advanced weapons systems had been destroyed in the strikes were “heavy on lies, misinformation and propaganda”.
India did not immediately comment on any alleged strikes but a statement from the ministry of defence said: “The Indian Armed Forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems.” The Indian army alleged its attack on Pakistan’s military bases on Saturday was in retaliation for high-speed missiles fired at several air bases in Punjab at around 2am. “In a swift and calibrated response, Indian Armed Forces carried out precision attacks only on identified military targets,” said Qureshi.
The Indian army said that Pakistan’s “blatant escalation with drones and other munitions continues along our western borders”. They said multiple hostile drones had been spotted over the Punjab city of Amritsar, which were “instantly engaged and destroyed by our air defence units”. In the hours after the strikes, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, told local media that if India stopped here “we will consider to stop here” and that the ball for de-escalation was in India’s court. India also said it was committed to “non-escalation” provided the Pakistan side reciprocated.
Among the military bases said to be targeted by Indian missiles was Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, where the military has its headquarters, which is around 10km from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. In the aftermath of the strikes, Pakistan shut down its air space. However, the Indian army claimed Pakistan was still mobilising its troops, in what they regarded as further aggression. “Pakistan military has been observed to be moving their troops into forward areas, indicating offensive intent to further escalate the situation,” said Qureshi.
Video shared on social media showed flames and smoke billowing into the night sky as a voice can be heard saying, “There has been an attack on Nur Khan base.” Pakistan’s version of events was different to that of India. In an address broadcast on state TV at around 3.30am, the military spokesperson Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed India had struck first, using fighter jets to fire surface-to-air missiles at Nur Khan, Murid and Shorkot military bases. He said the “majority” of India’s missiles were intercepted by air defence systems.
The early morning strike on Nur Khan caused mass panic in the densely populated area, with residents running into the streets. “There was a loud explosion which woke everyone up. It was so scary, everyone is still in a panic,” said one resident living nearby. Nur Khan airbase is in Rawalpindi, where the military has its headquarters, and is around 6 miles from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. In the aftermath of the strikes, Pakistan shut down its air space.
India’s attempted strikes on Rawalpindi and other key military bases – and the launch of Pakistan’s counter-attack on Saturday – marks the steepest escalation in their confrontation yet, bringing the two countries the closest they have been to war in decades. The strike on Nur Khan caused mass panic in the densely populated area. Video from the scene shared on social media showed flames and smoke billowing into the night sky, with residents running into the streets. “There was a loud explosion which woke everyone up. It was so scary, everyone is still in a panic,” said one resident living nearby.
On Wednesday India’s missiles struck nine sites in Pakistan killing 31 people. Those strikes in turn were India’s response to an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir late last month, in which militants killed 25 Hindu tourists and a guide, which they blamed on Pakistani-backed extremists. Chaudhry called the strikes “blatant acts of aggression by India” and said they were “part of a larger sinister plan to push the region and beyond into havoc”. Just over an hour later, Pakistan declared it had begun its counter-attack on military sites in India.
India’s targeting of Pakistani army bases came hours after Indian said Pakistan had launched yet another wave of drone attacks across 26 locations over the state of Punjab and Indian-administered Kashmir on Friday night. Explosions were heard near the airport in Srinagar, the main city in India-administered Kashmir. Speaking to Geo News after the counter-attack began, Dar said Pakistan had been left with no choice but to retaliate.
The Indian army said they had largely intercepted the drones but police said three people in the Ferozepur district of Punjab, which borders Pakistan, had been injured from the drone attacks, one in a critical condition. “There was no other option because India showed no sincerity in response to the diplomatic efforts made by friendly countries,” the foreign minister said. “We acted only after India continued firing drones and missiles.”
Earlier in the day, India accused Pakistan of launching an attack using up to 400 drones to target cities, military bases and places of worship across the north of the country on Thursday. The fighting this week was first inflamed on Wednesday after Indian missiles struck nine sites in Pakistan, killing 31 people. India has said those strikes were in response to an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir late last month, in which militants killed 25 Hindu tourists and a guide, which they blamed on Pakistani-backed extremists.
India claimed to have intercepted hundreds of Pakistani drones, which it said came across the border into Indian-administered Kashmir, as well as Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat. It said a first wave of drones came on Thursday evening and another wave hit close to dawn on Friday. The situation escalated further after India accused Pakistan of two consecutive nights of drone attacks. India claimed to have intercepted more than 400 drones targeting cities, military bases and places of worship across the north of the country on Thursday.
India said it had launched four drone strikes at Pakistan, directly targeting military defence infrastructure. In retaliation, India said it had launched four drone strikes at Pakistan, directly targeting military defence infrastructure.
In a press conference on Friday, the Indian military alleged that Pakistan’s drone attacks on Thursday had targeted a gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship, injuring a civilian, and that the drones had also targeted Christian churches. In the aftermath of Pakistan’s strikes, tensions remained high across India. Heavy shelling and gunfire were reported overnight across the Line of Control, the heavily militarised, de facto border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan, with several civilians killed.
Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, had denied the drone attacks. However, a Pakistan security official said that Thursday night’s drone strikes were just to “heat things up” before Pakistan launched a fully fledged retaliatory attack. In India, cities and districts in Punjab, Haryana and across Indian-administered Kashmir were put on red alert, with residents told to remain indoors and blackout orders enforced.
Speaking to Geo News after Pakistan began its counter attack, Ishaq Dar, the country’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister, said Pakistan had been left with no choice to retaliate. The Indian military said it had actively begun large-scale mobilisation of additional forces to the border and had activated its reserve Territorial Army to ensure full operational strength.
“There was no other option because India showed no sincerity in response to the diplomatic efforts made by friendly countries,” he said. “We acted only after India continued firing drones and missiles.” The US state department confirmed that the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had spoken to Pakistan’s army chief, Gen Asim Munir, and India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, early on Saturday morning. Rubio called for a de-escalation and “offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts”, a state department spokesperson said.
The US state department confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Pakistan’s both army chief Gen Asim Munir and India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar early on Saturday morning. Rubio called for de-escalation and “offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts”, said a state department spokesperson.