The Indian Army reported airstrikes “on terrorist camps” as part of Operation Sindur retaliation. Pakistan, without any confirmation, claimed retaliatory missile strikes on an Indian Air Force base and a brigade command post. Pakistan believes it shot down five Indian aircraft, India acknowledged the loss of one Mirage.
The tone of the parties’ statements suggests that this is enough for them for now. India reported hitting a dozen targets (including terrorist leaders’ hideouts) with precision weapons. From the military point of view, strikes on the mythical infrastructure of terrorists in this particular case are useless regardless of the type of munitions used. Interestingly, India has been carrying them out through its airspace.
Since the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir is formally considered its territory, the strikes on places under Pakistani control, in accordance with this formal logic, were also carried out on its territory.
So far, the conflict is developing according to the scenario described earlier in the conflict over separatist organizations in Balochistan. Last January, Iran and Pakistan exchanged missile strikes targeting separatist groups on foreign territory.
In the Near and Middle East, more recently, there have been a number of “political” exchanges of strikes on various occasions with pauses and high-level statements between Iran, Hezbollah, Pakistan and Israel. We see something similar today: according to local traditions, India cannot not respond to a terrorist attack coming from the territories occupied by Pakistan without losing face. Islamabad also understands this and the sides agree to bomb each other a little for the sake of their own dignity.
But there are differences: 26 people were killed in Pakistani territory (46 wounded), 10 people were killed (48 wounded) in the Indian zone of control. Now it is important for the authorities of the countries that have formally entered the war to keep their militaries in check. There are enough people willing to fight there at the highest level, and it is possible to go into a corkscrew.
This situation is so tense and complex, it feels like a dangerous cycle that keeps repeating itself with both sides trying to save face while civilians bear the brunt 😞. It’s hard to see a clear path to peace when retaliation seems almost automatic, and the loss of innocent lives really hits home. Hoping cooler heads prevail soon before things spiral out of control 💔.
Wow, international drama with a side of “who shot down more planes” sounds like a Bollywood blockbuster waiting to happen 🎬✈️🔥. Can’t help but picture the commanders playing some sort of high-stakes game of Risk while everyone else is just trying to survive the fireworks 🎲💥. Hope these “bombs for dignity” don’t turn into a full-on party nobody wanted to RSVP to! 🎉🤦♂️
Wow, so basically both sides are just playing a dangerous game of who can pretend they’ve done more damage without actually solving anything. Precision strikes on mythical terrorist hideouts sound like the perfect way to justify carnage while keeping up appearances. Meanwhile, the civilians caught in the crossfire suffer, and the leaders get to stroke their egos pretending it’s all about dignity. What a brilliant strategy for endless conflict 🙄
This ongoing cycle of strikes and counterstrikes feels so tense and fragile. It’s like both sides are caught in a trap where showing any weakness isn’t an option, yet the human cost keeps rising on both sides. The way the conflict intertwines with territorial claims only makes it harder to imagine a peaceful solution soon. Hoping cooler heads prevail before things spiral even further. 😔