India-Pakistan: Operation Sindoor Escalation
This military action was a direct response to the Pahalgam attack, which India attributed to Pakistan-based groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
INDIA/PAKISTAN — On May 7, 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor, striking nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir to target terrorist infrastructure linked to the April 22, 2025, massacre of 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to the Indian Ministry of Defense.
This military action was a direct response to the Pahalgam attack, which India attributed to Pakistan-based groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Pakistan denied involvement, condemned the strikes as an act of war, and reported 31 civilian deaths, including children, with 57 injured. according to a report by The Times of India. However, other independent sources, including Al Jazeera and The Guardian, report 26 civilian deaths from the strikes, creating uncertainty around the exact figure.
Cross-border shelling followed, with India confirming 12 civilian deaths, according to The Hindu, and Pakistan reporting 5 additional civilian deaths. Pakistan also claimed to have downed five Indian Air Force jets—three Rafales, one Su-30, and one Mirage 2000—a claim that remains unverified and is likely false based on a lack of credible evidence, and fact checks done by both The Times of India and India Today. Although both sources have the potential for bias toward India, a lack of credible evidence still remains.
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