Pakistan has claimed to have shot down five Indian warplanes and a drone, and accused India of killing 26 civilians in airstrikes, a Pakistani government statement said.
The aircraft destroyed included three Rafale fighter jets, one MiG-29, one SU-30 and a Heron drone.
India has not officially confirmed the losses, but Reuters sources among Indian government officials said three planes had crashed in different parts of the Himalayas, saying the pilots had been hospitalized.
The Pakistani military also said 26 civilians had been killed and 46 others wounded in Indian airstrikes. India responded by saying its strikes targeted the infrastructure of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which is suspected of attacks on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir.
India, in turn, reported shelling from Pakistan, which killed at least seven civilians and injured 30 others.
Both sides also confirmed heavy artillery exchanges in the area of the Line of Control, which divides the disputed territory of Kashmir.
On April 24, Pakistan announced that it was closing its airspace to Indian-owned or operated airlines.
On April 28, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that he considered a military invasion by India inevitable after militants attacked tourists in Kashmir.
On May 6, India announced attacks on nine targets in Pakistan and in the states of Jammu and Kashmir. After the attack, Pakistan announced the closure of the country's airspace for 48 hours.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.