Pakistan Says Shot Down 25 Drones, India Says It Pushed Back Pakistani Retaliation

Pakistan said on Thursday it shot down 25 drones from India in its airspace while India said it “neutralized” Pakistan’s attempts to strike military targets with drones and missiles, as fighting spread between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

The latest exchanges come a day after India said it hit “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday – two weeks after it accused the country of involvement in an attack in Indian Kashmir in which 26 people – mostly Hindu tourists – were killed.

Islamabad had denied the accusation and vowed to retaliate to the missile strikes, also saying it shot down five Indian aircraft. The Indian embassy in Beijing termed reports of fighter jets being shot down as “misinformation”.

Pakistan shot down 25 Israeli-made drones from India at multiple locations, including the two largest cities of Karachi and Lahore, and their debris is being collected, Pakistan military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said.

One drone was also shot down over the garrison city of Rawalpindi, home to the Pakistan army’s heavily fortified headquarters, he said.

One drone hit a military target near Lahore and four personnel of the Pakistan army were injured in this attack, Chaudhry said.