Indian warplanes dropped bombs inside Pakistan early on Tuesday, both sides said, as military tensions between the nuclear arch rivals escalated dramatically following last week's Kashmir suicide attack. India said aircraft had destroyed a terrorist training camp where militants were training to carry out an imminent attack, in its first airstrikes against Pakistan since their 1971 war. But the Pakistani military said the aircraft had caused no damage after dropping their payload early when repulsed by defending forces. India's foreign minister, Vijay Gokhale, said the action had struck a hilltop training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group, near Balakot. Describing the strikes as "non-military pre-emptive action", he claimed "a very large number of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen [suicide] action were eliminated". The Indian jets crossed the disputed line of control near Muzafarabad in Kashmir, according to Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, spokesman for Pakistan's armed forces. One local police official who declined to be named told the Telegraph that the strike had taken place at Jabba, near Balakot, inside the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox The Pakistani airforce scrabbled its own jets in response. The attack took place over the line of control, which separates the Indian and Pakistani controlled sections of Kashmir. On Twitter Indian Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat commented: “Air Force carried out aerial strike early morning today at terror camps and completely destroyed it.” India terror attack: Four soldiers KILLED in exchange with militants There are no reports thus far of any casualties. Pakistan's military said Indian military aircraft had crossed into its territory in the disputed Kashmir region and "released a payload”. Twelve Mirage 2000 warplanes dropped 1,000kg bombs on militant training camps according to sources speaking to The Times of India. The paper reports that the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed armed groups were targeted. The Indian Air Force has been placed on high alert across the border with Pakistan in case of any response. READ MORE: India declares Pakistan ‘WILL PAY' following attack<doc-sep>India has launched airstrikes in Pakistani territory in retaliation for a terror attack earlier this month in Kashmir that killed 46 Indian policemen. Key points: India claims to have bombed a Pakistani terrorist group's training camp in Kashmir India claims to have bombed a Pakistani terrorist group's training camp in Kashmir The attack comes days after an Indian paramilitary convoy was bombed in the territory, killing 46 Indian policemen The attack comes days after an Indian paramilitary convoy was bombed in the territory, killing 46 Indian policemen At the time, India's Prime Minister warned of a "crushing response" India said its jets bombed a training camp for Jaish-e-Mohammed — the militant organisation claiming responsibility for the terror attack. "In the face of imminent danger, a pre-emptive strike became absolutely necessary," Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said. "India has been repeatedly urging Pakistan to take action against the Jaish-e-Mohammed to prevent jihadis from being trained and armed inside Pakistan. People in India celebrated the bombing, which came after India threatened retaliation. ( AP: Ajit Solanki "Pakistan has taken no concrete action to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil. "In an intelligence-led operation in the early hours of today, India struck the biggest training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot." Pakistan immediately downplayed the airstrikes, saying no infrastructure was hit. Loading Loading Pakistan's chief military spokesperson, Major General Asif Ghafoor, tweeted photos of what he said was the site where the Indian munitions hit. India said 300 militants were killed but Pakistan said there were no casualties. Pakistani jets were scrambled, forcing the Indian Air Force to leave Pakistani airspace. India's Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the attack targeted a terrorist camp. ( AP: Manish Swarup Kashmir has been a flashpoint in India-Pakistan relations since partition. The state is ruled in part but claimed in full by both countries, and the contested border is the site of frequent skirmishes between both militaries and militant groups. On February 14, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of paramilitary police travelling to the capital, Srinagar, killing 46 Indian personnel. India claimed it had since killed the militant mastermind behind the suicide bombing. Sorry, this video has expired Up to 46 Indian personnel killed in deadly car bomb in Kashmir. The anti-India jihadist group behind the attack has ties with al Qaeda and has been on a UN terror list since 2001. There were scenes of celebration in India, with groups lighting fireworks and burning effigies representing Pakistan to mark the airstrikes. With national elections due by May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been under pressure to demonstrate a muscular, military response to the Kashmir terror attack, which was the deadliest in 20 years.<doc-sep>The Pakistan army has issued a warning following India's air strikes on Pakistani territory. The Pakistan army has issued a warning following India's air strikes on Pakistani territory.... Pakistan has said it will respond “at the time and place of its choosing” after its nuclear-arms neighbour India launched a pre-dawn air strike, which they say was targeting militants. New Delhi said the strikes targeted a terrorist training camp across the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between India and Pakistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The strikes have escalated tensions sharply on the Asian subcontinent with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan promising to retaliate in a significant escalation of hostilities between the powers. “India has committed uncalled for aggression to which Pakistan shall respond at the time and place of its choosing,” Mr Khan’s office said in a statement. Pakistan denied India’s claim that the attack had inflicted major damage and casualties on militants responsible for a suicide bombing in Kashmir earlier this month as “reckless and fictitious”, and said it would respond in due course. The attack, if confirmed, would be India’s first use of air strikes against Pakistan since 1971 when the two went to war over Bangladesh’s independence. Meanwhile Australia has urged both India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint”. Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said the Australian government was “concerned” about relations between the two nations in the wake of the “horrific” terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14, which Australia condemned. She urged Pakistan to take “urgent and meaningful action” against terrorist groups in its territory, including Jaish-e-Mohammed which has claimed responsibility for the February 14 bombing, and Lashkar-e-Taiba. “Pakistan must do everything possible to implement its own proscription of Jaish-e-Mohammed,” Minister Payne said in a statement. “It can no longer allow extremist groups the legal and physical space to operate from its territory. “These steps would make a substantial contribution to easing tensions and resolving the underlying causes of conflict. “Australia urges both sides to exercise restraint, avoid any action which would endanger peace and security in the region and engage in dialogue to ensure that these issues are resolved peacefully.” The escalation has triggered international alarm, with China and the European Union also calling for both sides to show restraint. PAKISTAN DENIES SUICIDE BOMBING The air strike followed a suicide bombing in India’s section of the disputed territory of Kashmir on February 14 that killed more than 40 Indian soldiers. Pakistan has denied involvement in that attack but vowed to respond to any Indian military operation against it. It was the worst attack on Indian forces since the beginning of an insurgency in the region in the late 1980s, according to analysts. Several reporters, including an Associated Press journalist, trudged up the Kangaran Nallah hill to the site of Tuesday’s bombing near the town of Balakot, close to the border with Pakistan’s sector of Kashmir. They saw several large craters, a few up-ended trees and villagers wondering why they had been targeted. “There are only mud-brick homes here. There is no madrasahs. There isn’t even a concrete house,” said 55-year-old Noor Shah who lived about a half-kilometre from the site. Earlier, Pakistan’s military accused India’s air force of violating its airspace, scrambling jets in response. New Delhi said its jets had hit a JeM training camp and killed “a very large number” of militants training to stage suicide attacks in India. “In the face of imminent danger, a pre-emptive strike became absolutely necessary,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said. India’s targets were in the region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a significant distance over the Line of Control demarking the two nations’ influence over the contested area. An Indian government minister confirmed the attacks. “Air force carried out aerial strike early morning today at terror camps across the LoC (Line of Control) and Completely destroyed it,” minister of state for agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Twitter. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Khan both summoned emergency meetings of top ministers after the attack. Khan also convened a meeting of the National Command Authority, which oversees command and control of the country’s nuclear arsenal, the military said. Modi, who is expected to call an election in April, had threatened a “jawbreaking” response to the February 14 attack. But at a rally on Tuesday, the Indian leader did not directly mention the strike. He paid tribute to the military and said: “I assure the nation that the country is in safe hands.” “They say they want India to bleed with a 1000 cuts. We say that each time you attack us, be certain we will get back at you, harder and stronger,” said foreign affairs minister of state, Vijay Kumar Singh, a former head of the Indian army. Okay. @nitingokhale reporting that IAF •did• strike Jaish-e-Mohammed facilities in KPK—that’s huge. First use of conventional airpower by one nuclear-armed power against another nuclear-armed power’s territory, AFAIK. (KPK is not disputed.) https://t.co/banHBqdqlg — Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) February 26, 2019 This is the biggest crisis between the neighbours since 2016, when Pakistan-based militants attacked an Indian army camp in Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers. Reports suggest up to 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets crossed the disputed border between India and Pakistan, which embraces the disputed regions of Kashmir and Jammu, about 3.30am local time. India Today reports the combat jets targeted terror camps and launch pads around Balakot, Muzafarrabad and Chakoti, dropping 1000kg bombs in an operation lasting 20 minutes. Pakistan’s initial response to the raid was to dismiss its significance, stating India’s bombs fell on nothing of importance. If reports of the use of the Mirage 2000 jet fighter are correct, it raises a risky aspect to the raid. The jet is capable of deploying nuclear weapons. Any border crossing by these Indian warplanes could be construed by Pakistan as a nuclear first strike. Since the suicide bombing in mid February, Indian police have been mainly targeting Kashmir’s largest political-religious group, Jama’at-e-Islami.<doc-sep>
An Indian minister claimed that the country’s aircraft made a successful bombing run against terrorists on the Pakistani-controlled side of Kashmir. Pakistan said the Indian jets “released a payload” while fleeing. “Air Force carried out aerial strike early morning today at terror camps across the LoC [Line of Control] and Completely destroyed it,” the minister of state of agriculture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, tweeted on Tuesday. ये मोदी का हिंदुस्तान है, घर में घुसेगा भी और मारेगा भी,Air Force carried out aerial strike early morning today at terror camps across the LoC and Completely destroyed itएक एक क़तरा ख़ून का हिसाब होगा !ये तो एक शुरुआत है .. ये देश नहीं झुकने दूंगा...#Balakot#Surgicalstrike2pic.twitter.com/fqYJgWxuqX — Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (@gssjodhpur) February 26, 2019 According to Indian media, 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets bombed sites belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed jihadist group, active in Kashmir. The strikes were “100 percent successful” and went “exactly as planned,” NDTV reported, citing sources. It was the first time Indian warplanes have crossed the Line of Control (LoC), separating the nations in Kashmir, since 1971, when the two states were waging open war against each other. The Pakistani military confirmed the incursion of the Indian jets into its territory but offered their own account of what happened next. The army’s spokesperson, Major General Asif Ghafoor, said the Indian aircraft released a payload in haste “under forced hastily withdrawal” from the jets scrambled to intercept it, and claimed there were no casualties and “no infrastructure was hit” during the raid. Indian aircrafts’ intrusion across LOC in Muzafarabad Sector within AJ&K was 3-4 miles.Under forced hasty withdrawal aircrafts released payload which had free fall in open area. No infrastructure got hit, no casualties. Technical details and other important information to follow. — Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 26, 2019 Ghafoor posted photos showing pieces of a munition he said was dropped by “hastily escaping” Indian aircraft. The photos also showed trees allegedly destroyed in the raid. Payload of hastily escaping Indian aircrafts fell in open. pic.twitter.com/8drYtNGMsm — Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 26, 2019 Tensions in the contested region have run high for weeks ever since a suicide car targeted Indian military police, killing 40. Also on rt.com Pakistan ready to talk, but ‘will retaliate’ if India moves to avenge deadly terror attack – PM The terrorist attack has prompted calls for ‘surgical strikes’ 2.0, a repeat of the 2016 cross-border ground operation ordered by Indian Prime Minister Modi in response to an attack on an Indian Army base in the Himalayan valley that killed 18 soldiers. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!