US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called on India and Pakistan to "exercise restraint" amid soaring tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries, while urging Islamabad to take action against militants.
"We encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost," Pompeo said in a statement after speaking with his counterparts from both countries.
Pompeo said that in talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he stressed "the priority of de-escalating current tensions by avoiding military action, and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil."
India said Tuesday that it launched strikes against militant camps in Pakistan -- New Delhi's first use of air strikes on its neighbor's territory since the two countries went to war in 1971.
Pakistan, while confirming the incursion, denied India's claim that the attack had inflicted major damage and casualties on militants.
The Tuesday air raid came after India threatened retaliation over the February 14 suicide bombing, claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group, that killed 40 Indian troops in the Kashmir region.
Indian air force downs drone near Pakistan border: police
Ahmedabad, India (AFP) Feb 26, 2019 - India's air force shot down a drone near the frontier with Pakistan on Tuesday, officers said, just hours after New Delhi announced its warplanes had bombed a militant training camp over the border.
Villagers discovered debris from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) not far from the Pakistan border in western Gujarat state, police sources told AFP.
"A UAV has been shot down by the armed forces. We are investigating it," a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.
Investigators would probe whether the drone came from Pakistan, he added. The nuclear-armed rivals frequently claim to have shot down surveillance craft that strayed into each other's territory.
The police officer said villagers in Kutch district -- a remote desert region -- heard a "loud noise" in the early hours of Tuesday.
He did not elaborate further about the downing of the done or its origins, citing "security concerns".
The incident came after India said its fighter jets struck a militant camp inside Pakistan-controlled territory in a pre-dawn raid, drastically escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.
New Delhi said their warplanes destroyed a training base used by Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
The same group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in Indian-administered Kashmir earlier in the month that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary troopers.
New Delhi said a "very large number" of JeM militants were killed in the strike on the camp, where it alleges fighters were planning further attacks on India.
Pakistan rejected the claims, saying its fighters scrambled to force the Indian jets back, which dropped payloads as they escaped. It did not clarify what it meant by "payloads".
Pakistan rejects Indian claim of striking militant camp, inflicting casualties
Islamabad (AFP) Feb 26, 2019 - Pakistan rejected Tuesday India's claim that it killed many militants in an air strike, branding it "self serving, reckless and fictitious".
Pakistan officials have said that Indian warplanes did breach its airspace and drop a payload over Balakot in the country's northwest, but said there was no damage or casualties.
The National Security Council "strongly rejected (the) Indian claim of targeting an alleged terrorist camp near Balakot and the claim of heavy casualties", Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a press conference in Islamabad.
"Once again (the) Indian government has resorted to a self serving, reckless and fictitious claim," he said, adding that it had been done for domestic consumption ahead of the Indian general election.
He also called the violation an "uncalled for aggression to which Pakistan shall respond at the time and place of its choosing".
Qureshi spoke after India said Tuesday its warplanes attacked a militant camp where Pakistan-backed fighters were preparing suicide attacks on its cities, sending tensions between the arch-rivals to a new peak.
A "very large number" of militants from the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group were killed in the night-time attack, according to the foreign ministry.
Pakistan has said its fighters scrambled to force the Indian jets back, and that they dropped payloads as they escaped. It did not clarify what it meant by "payloads".
There have been no reports of any casualties in Pakistan.
The escalation came after a February 14 suicide bombing claimed by JeM that killed 40 troops in Indian Kashmir, setting off a chain of threats and counter-warnings between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
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Pakistan accuses India of launching strike across Kashmir border
Islamabad (AFP) Feb 26, 2019
Pakistan said Tuesday that Indian warplanes crossed into its airspace over the ceasefire line in Kashmir and dropped payloads, after tensions spiked between the nuclear-armed neighbours over the disputed region. "Indian Air Force violated Line of Control," Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted, referring to the de facto border between Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. Pakistan Air Force jets were scrambled in response to the incursion, Ghafoor said. "Facing ... read more
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