Fox News: Pakistan shoots down more than two dozen drones launched by India

[riky]

Pakistan shoots down more than two dozen drones launched by India

A Pakistani army spokesperson said 25 drones launched by India overnight and into Thursday were shot down.
                       
                       
                           

India launched multiple Israeli-made Harop drones targeting Pakistan overnight and into Thursday, with one damaging a military site and wounding four soldiers, a You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login spokesman said. 

Pakistani forces downed 25 of the drones, Pakistan army spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif told The Associated Press. Debris from a downed drone that fell into the Sindh province killed one civilian and injured another.

A drone damaged a military site near the city of Lahore, injuring four soldiers, and another went down in Rawalpindi, which is near the capital, Sharif said.

"The armed forces are neutralizing them as we speak," Sharif said on the state-run Pakistan Television early on Thursday afternoon, the outlet reported.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

India's government said Thursday that overnight, "Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India... using drones and missiles."

"These were neutralized by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defense systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks," it added.

"Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defense Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan" this morning, it continued, noting that "it has been reliably learnt that an Air Defense system at Lahore has been neutralized."

"Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using Mortars and heavy calibre Artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir," India's government also said. "Sixteen innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani firing. Here too, India was compelled to respond to bring Mortar and Artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt." 

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login and Pakistan are among the handful of world powers that possess nuclear weapons, making tensions between the two nations particularly troublesome on the world stage.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Late Thursday in Indian-controlled Kashmir, residents of the city of Jammu reported hearing explosions and sirens.

Shesh Paul Vaid, the region's former director-general of police, said there was a complete blackout in Jammu following loud blasts. Vaid told The Associated Press that the Jammu Airport likely was under attack and that some of the 50 loud explosions he heard likely were because "our defense system is at work."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke Thursday to Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

"The Secretary emphasized the need for immediate de-escalation. He expressed U.S. support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications," according to the State Department. 

"The Secretary expressed sorrow for the reported loss of civilian lives in the current conflict. He reiterated his calls for Pakistan to take concrete steps to end any support for terrorist groups," it added.

President You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login said Wednesday that he wants the conflict between the two nations to "stop," noting, "if I can do anything to help ... I will be there."

Some American lawmakers have also weighed in on India and Pakistan.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said in a Wednesday You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login "I urge Indian and Pakistani leaders to find a path towards de-escalation, and to ensure accountability for those responsible for the horrific April 22 terrorist attack in Kashmir. For the sake of innocent civilians in India and Pakistan—now is the time to lean into diplomacy."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Source: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login