What we know about India's strike on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Two weeks aft a deadly militant onslaught connected tourists successful Indian-administered Kashmir, India has launched a bid of strikes connected sites successful Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The Indian defence ministry said the strikes - named "Operation Sindoor" - were portion of a "commitment" to clasp those liable for the 22 April onslaught which near 25 Indians and 1 Nepali nationalist dormant "accountable".

But Pakistan, which has denied immoderate engagement successful past month's attack, has described the strikes arsenic "unprovoked", with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying the "heinous enactment of aggression volition not spell unpunished".

Pakistan's subject says it has changeable down 5 Indian craft and a drone. India has yet to respond to these claims.

Pakistani authorities accidental the strikes person killed 8 civilians truthful far. India meantime says 3 civilians were killed by Pakistani shelling successful Indian-administered Kashmir.

Delhi said successful the aboriginal hours of Wednesday greeting that 9 antithetic locations had been targeted successful some Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Pakistan.

It said these sites were "terrorist infrastructure" - places wherever attacks were "planned and directed".

It emphasised that it had not deed immoderate Pakistani subject facilities, saying its "actions person been focused, measured and non-escalatory successful nature".

According to Pakistan, 3 antithetic areas were hit: Muzaffarabad and Kotli successful Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Bahawalpur successful the Pakistani state of Punjab.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told GeoTV that the strikes deed civilian areas, adding that India's assertion of "targeting violent camps" is false.

The strikes travel aft weeks of rising hostility betwixt the nuclear-armed neighbours implicit the shootings successful the picturesque edifice municipality of Pahalgam.

The 22 April onslaught by a radical of militants saw 26 radical killed, with survivors saying the militants were singling retired Hindu men.

It was the worst onslaught connected civilians successful the portion successful 2 decades, and sparked wide choler successful India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the state would hunt the suspects "till the ends of the Earth" and that those who planned and carried it retired "will beryllium punished beyond their imagination".

However, India has not named immoderate radical it suspects carried retired the onslaught successful Pahalgam and it remains unclear who did it.

But Indian constabulary person alleged 2 of the attackers were Pakistani nationals, with Delhi accusing Pakistan of supporting militants - a complaint Islamabad denies. It says it has thing to bash with the 22 April attacks.

In the 2 weeks since, some sides had taken tit-for-tat measures against each different - including expelling diplomats, suspending visas and closing borderline crossings.

But galore expected it would escalate to immoderate benignant of cross-border onslaught - arsenic seen aft the Pulwama attacks which near 40 Indian paramilitary unit dormant successful 2019.

Kashmir is claimed successful afloat by India and Pakistan, but administered lone successful portion by each since they were partitioned pursuing independency from Britain successful 1947.

The countries person fought 2 wars implicit it.

But much recently, it has been attacks by militants which person brought the 2 countries to the brink. Indian-administered Kashmir has seen an equipped insurgency against Indian regularisation since 1989, with militants targeting information forces and civilians alike.

This was the archetypal large onslaught connected civilians since India revoked Article 370 that gave Kashmir semi-autonomous presumption successful 2019.

Following the decision, the portion saw protests but besides witnessed militancy wane and a immense summation successful the fig of tourists visiting the region.

In 2016, aft 19 Indian soldiers were killed successful Uri, India launched "surgical strikes" crossed the Line of Control – the de facto borderline betwixt India and Pakistan - targeting militant bases.

In 2019, the Pulwama bombing, which near 40 Indian paramilitary unit dead, prompted airstrikes heavy into Balakot - the archetypal specified enactment wrong Pakistan since 1971 - sparking retaliatory raids and an aerial dogfight.

Neither spiralled, but the wider satellite remains alert to the information of what could hap if it did. Attempts person been made by assorted countries and diplomats astir the satellite to halt the existent concern escalating.

Already, UN main Antonio Guterres has called for "maximum restraint", portion US President Donald Trump said helium hoped the warring "ends precise quickly".