Pakistan fury after India launches Kashmir strikes

Pakistan fury after India launches Kashmir strikes

September 29, 2016
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NEW DELHI — Indian commandos carried out a series of lightning strikes Thursday along the de facto border with Pakistan in Kashmir, provoking furious charges of “naked aggression” from its nuclear-armed neighbor.

Amid anger in India over a recent deadly assault on one of its army bases in Kashmir, officials said troops had conducted “surgical strikes” several kilometers inside the Pakistan-controlled side of the disputed territory to prevent attacks being planned on major Indian cities. The strikes aimed at “neutralizing the terrorists” had caused “multiple casualties”, according to the Indian officials.

Pakistan said two of its soldiers had been killed and nine more wounded in what it described as small arms fire but dismissed the claims of surgical strikes as an “illusion” designed to whip up “media hype”.

Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, the director-general of military operations, announced news of the strikes in New Delhi — which sent shares on the Indian stock market sliding nearly two percent. “Some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launchpads along the Line of Control,” Singh told reporters, describing the intelligence information as “very specific and credible”.

“The Indian army conducted surgical strikes last night at these launchpads. Significant casualties have been caused to these terrorists and those who are trying to support them. “The operations aimed at neutralizing the terrorists have since ceased.”

Singh said the decision to launch the strikes had been taken after the military determined the launchpads had been set up with “an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes in Jammu and Kashmir and various other metros in our country.” A senior government source said commandos flown in by helicopter carried out the strikes some way across the unofficial border known as the Line of Control (LoC).

The Pakistani military however played down the scale of the strikes. “There has been no surgical strike by India, instead there had been cross border fire initiated and conducted by India,” it said in a statement. “As per rules of engagement same was strongly and befittingly responded by Pakistani troops.”

In a statement from his office, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif “strongly condemned the unprovoked and naked aggression of Indian forces”. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said two Pakistani soldiers killed and nine wounded by what he characterized as “small weapon fire”. — AFP


September 29, 2016
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