India-Pakistan tensions flare with airbase attacks

• India shelled Pakistani airbases, including one near Islamabad, prompting an immediate military response from Pakistan.
• The Pakistani army attacked Indian bases, including a missile depot in the northern part of the country and Pathankot airport in the state of Punjab.
• Escalation of the conflict occurred after the Indian attack on targets in Pakistan, which was a response to an earlier attack in Kashmir attributed to Pakistani rebels.

Pakistan accused India of missile attacks on airbases, including one near Islamabad. Pakistani army spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reported on state television that India launched air-to-ground missiles aimed at the Nur Khan, Mureed, and Shorkot bases.

- India has launched multiple missile attacks on Pakistani airbases, including the Noor Khan, Murid, and Shorkot airbases - said Chaudhry, adding that most of the missiles were intercepted by Pakistani air defence.

In response to the attack, the Pakistani army conducted a military operation against India. The targets included bases in India, a missile depot in the northern part of the country, and Pathankot airport in the western state of Punjab.

Residents in the Indian cities of Srinagar and Jammu also heard the sounds of explosions, with sirens wailing. The escalation of conflict between these two nuclear-armed states stems from earlier tensions related to an attack in Kashmir.

Kashmir has been a point of contention between India and Pakistan since the partition of British India in 1947. The two countries have fought three wars over the region.

Since 1989, an anti-Indian rebellion has been ongoing in Indian Kashmir, costing tens of thousands of lives. India accuses Pakistan of supporting this rebellion. At least 48 civilians have been killed in the current conflict.