It appears that Pakistan and India are on the brink of war after recent escalations in the Kashmir region.
The very latest is that Pakistan has shot down at least one, maybe two Indian fighter jets and captured one pilot.
Here’s a brief summary of what’s happened in the region via CBS:
- On Feb. 14 a suicide attack by a terror group killed 40 Indian soldiers in Indian controlled Kashmir
- On Feb. 26 India responded with airstrikes deep in Pakistani territory, purportedly targeting the terror group
- On Feb. 27 Pakistani jets dropped bombs on the Indian side. Indian warplanes responded, resulting in a dogfight
- Pakistan claims two Indian jets were shot down, one in Pakistani territory and one on India’s side of Kashmir. It says two pilots were captured and denies any Pakistani jet was shot down.
- Pakistani leader Imran Khan calls for talks to de-escalate the situation, given “the types of weapons India and Pakistan have”
Pakistan now says they’ve only captured one pilot, not two.
Here’s more from CBS, including a defense by Pompeo of India’s response yesterday to the massacre of their soldiers:
CBS News’ Arshad Zargar reported on Wednesday that the border areas between the two countries were tense after the jets came down and the limited exchange of fire over night between forces on both sides. Zargar said fear was mounting in India, with some people taking to social media to urge each other to be alert and ready, and stock up on food and fuel.
In a statement issued early Wednesday morning, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended India’s strikes on Tuesday as “counter-terrorism actions” and said he had spoken to his counterpart in Delhi “to emphasize our close security partnership and shared goal of maintaining peace and security in the region.”
He said he had also spoken to the Pakistani foreign minister “to underscore the priority of de-escalating current tensions by avoiding military action, and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil. I expressed to both Ministers that we encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost.”
Indian news reports said airports in the Indian portion of Kashmir closed for civilian traffic shortly after the air force jet crashed in the area. The Press Trust of India news agency said these airports were located at Srinagar, Jammu and Leh. Indian authorities declined to comment.
Both nations have nuclear weapons, so this could get very ugly if things don’t deescalate.
Here’s a video of the wreckage of one of the planes Pakistan shot down: