Explainer
Pakistan says Indian missile attacks on six locations have killed at least eight people and injured more than 35 people.
Just after midnight on Wednesday, the Indian army began Operation Sindoah, struggling nine sites in Kashmir, known as “terrorist infrastructure” controlled by Pakistan and Pakistan.
Pakistani troops said Indian troops attacked six different locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, setting up 24 strikes, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 35 people.
The following locations are targeted by an attack:
Ahmedpur Sharchia near Bahawalpur (Punjab) – the most fatal strike took place here, where the mosque grounds were attacked and killed at least five people, including at least three-year-old girl, according to General EU, a spokesman for Pakistani military. Muridke City (Punjab) Sialkot (Punjab) Village near Shakalgar (Punjab)
Two locations were also hit in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
Muzaffarabad and Kotli – Two mosques were destroyed, killing a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy.
Pakistani officials claim their troops also shot down five Indian fighters. India did not immediately comment.
Indian forces say that the Pakistan artillery fire killed at least three people in India-controlled Kashmir.
Where is Kashmir?
Located northwest of the Indian subcontinent, Kashmir is located in highlands, with most of the area rising above 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) above sea level. It covers an area of 222,200 square kilometers (85,800 square miles).
The population is overwhelmingly Muslim, with around 4 million people living in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and around 13 million people living in India-controlled Jammu and Kashmir.
The de facto border that divides Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and India-controlled Kashmir is known as the Line of Control (LOC). The line originally marked the military front when the two countries declared a ceasefire in January 1949 after the first war with Kashmir. It was officially named LOC under the Simla Agreement in 1972, and following the war in 1971, it led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Who controls Kashmir?
India, Pakistan and China each claim part of Kashmir.
Pakistan controls the northern and western parts of the country, namely Gilgit and Baltistan, and what Pakistan calls Azad Kashmir or “Free Kashmir.” India manages parts in the southeast and southeastern parts, including Kashmir Valley and its largest cities, Srinagar, Jammu and Ladakh.
Pakistan calls India-controlled Kashmir “Kashmir under Indian occupation.” India returns favor – it calls Kashmir, managed by Pakistan, “Kashmir occupying Pakistan.”
What happened during the attack on Pahargam?
On April 22, an armed man fired a group of Indian-controlled Kashmir tourists, killing 26 men in one of the deadliest attacks on tourists in decades.
The attack occurred at Baisaran pasture in Pahargam, a well-known tourist destination, 50 km (32 miles) southeast of the region’s summer capital, Srinagar.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a little-known armed group that claims India is representing Pakistan-based Rashkar-e-Taiba, has argued responsibility for the attack.
India implies that it believes Pakistan may be indirectly supporting the attack on Pahargam.
Before Wednesday’s attack, the two countries were engaged in intense diplomatic swipes on each other, including canceling each other’s citizens, recalling diplomatic staff, and closing airspace to each other’s airlines.
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