Indian Jets Strike on Pakistani Side of Kashmir Line

[Devil Child]

Source: The New York Times

Indian warplanes conducted airstrikes in the Pakistan-controlled side of Kashmir on Tuesday, Pakistani officials said, in an escalation of tensions between the nuclear-armed nations after a suicide bombing against Indian troops in the disputed region this month.

If confirmed, it would be the first time that Indian aircraft had crossed the Kashmir Line of Control to strike in years. But it was unclear what, if anything, the attack jets hit on the Pakistani side, raising the possibility that India was making a calculated bet to assuage public anger but minimize the risk of a major Pakistani military response.

A spokesman for Pakistan’s armed forces, Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, on Tuesday posted on Twitter four images of a forested area pockmarked with small craters and debris, which he said was the site of Indian airstrikes.

The Indian news media, quoting local military officials, said Indian Mirage 2000 fighter jets dropped bombs on a terrorist camp in Pakistan-controlled territory at 3:30 a.m. local time.


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-jets.html

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A flashpoint brewing in an already conflict prone area.

[rpannier]

1. This will likely not end well

Unless you like carnage and mayhem


on edit:
Reading the BBC article, the Pakistanis do not appear to be ratcheting up hostility

[KY_EnviroGuy]

2. Read more locally from both sides of the fence here....

Pakistan Observer.....

Link: https://pakobserver.net/

The Times of India......

Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

In today's world, that suicide bombing could have been financed, planned and executed by any number of foreign or domestic groups from around the globe.

[Devil Child]

5. Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack

Jaish-e-Mohammed is a construction and tool of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

Thanks for the links!

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Pakistan line is that the planes retreated and dumped their load on nothing

The NYT has now put quote marks around "terrorist camps".

Looks like each side is doing and saying things mainly to save face.

[nycbos]

4. Both India and Pakistan are now run by the religious wacko parties.

And they both sides have nukes.

Paging Dr. Strangelove.

[Devil Child]

6. After India's Strike on Pakistan, Both Sides Leave Room for De-escalation

For the first time in five decades, Indian warplanes crossed into Pakistan and conducted airstrikes on Tuesday. But in the jarring escalation of hostilities, the leadership of each nuclear-armed country also appeared to leave itself a way out of pushing the conflict into war.

In India, where election-year nationalism is fueling waves of anger over the militant attack in Kashmir that killed dozens of soldiers this month, the story line was of righteous vengeance accomplished.

snip...

In a statement, India’s foreign ministry claimed that airstrikes near Balakot in northern Pakistan had struck “the biggest training camp” of Jaish-e-Mohammad, the group that claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, killing a “very large number” of militants as they were planning another attack.

snip...

With India claiming to have avenged the Kashmir attack, and with Pakistan claiming that India had done no real damage, it seemed possible that the situation could yet be defused. Still, analysts cautioned that the crisis could erupt into something more serious if restraint failed on either side.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-airstrikes.html

Follow up article by NYT on the attempted IAF airstrike.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. There was no strike on Pakistan. It was a strike on Kashmir, a disputed area.

Yes, it was in a part of Kashmir currently occupied by Pakistani forces, but it is not exactly "Pakistan".

So, an act of war? Or an act of stern disapproval?

War is not a necessary outcome, though it's still unpleasant for residents of the Kashmir area.

[IronLionZion]

7. "This is more political symbolism than anything else.

Mr. Modi had to show some demonstrable action on India’s part, ahead of elections.”


So just more tail wagging the dog to look tough on defense.