ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥 India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least eight people including a child, in what Pakistan's leader called an act of war.
India said it struck infrastructure used by militants linked to of tourists in the .
At least three civilians were also killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir by Pakistani shelling, the Indian army said in a statement.
Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since the attack, which India has blamed Pakistan for backing. Islamabad has denied the accusation.
笔补办颈蝉迟补苍鈥檚 condemned Wednesday鈥檚 airstrikes and said the 鈥渄eceitful enemy has carried out cowardly attacks鈥 and that his country would retaliate.
鈥淧akistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given,鈥 Sharif said.
Sharif has convened a meeting of the 春色直播 Security Committee for Wednesday morning.
Exchanges raise threat of war
South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said it was one the highest-intensity strikes from India on its rival in years and that 笔补办颈蝉迟补苍鈥檚 response would 鈥渟urely pack a punch as well.鈥
鈥淭hese are two strong militaries that, even with nuclear weapons as a deterrent, are not afraid to deploy sizeable levels of conventional military force against each other,鈥 Kugelman said. 鈥淭he escalation risks are real. And they could well increase, and quickly.鈥
Stephane Dujarric, the United Nations spokesperson, said in a statement late Tuesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was 鈥渧ery concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border鈥 and called for maximum military restraint from both countries.
鈥淭he world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,鈥 the statement read.
Scenes of panic and destruction
The missiles hit six locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the country鈥檚 eastern Punjab province, resulting in the deaths of eight people and injuries to 38, said 笔补办颈蝉迟补苍鈥檚 military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif.
One hit a mosque in the city of Bahawalpur in Punjab, killing a child. Other locations hit were near Muridke in Punjab and Kotli in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
India鈥檚 Defense Ministry said at least nine sites were targeted 鈥渨here terrorist attacks against India have been planned.鈥
鈥淥ur actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted,鈥 the statement said, adding that 鈥淚ndia has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.鈥
The army said the operation was named 鈥淪indoor,鈥 a Hindi word for the bright red vermillion powder worn by married Hindu women on their forehead and hair, in a reference to the women who saw their husbands killed in front of them.
In Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, resident Abdul Sammad said he heard several explosions as the blast ripped through houses and saw people running in panic. Authorities immediately cut the power, leading to a blackout.
Later, locals inspected the damage to their homes in the aftermath of the missile attacks, rubble and other debris crunching underfoot.
People took refuge on the streets and in open areas, fearful of what might happen. 鈥淲e were afraid the next missile might hit our house,鈥 said Mohammad Ashraf.
Authorities in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir have declared an emergency in the region鈥檚 hospitals.
Pakistan shut schools in Kashmir and Punjab province after the missile strikes. It had earlier closed seminaries in Kashmir in anticipation of an attack by India.
India hit by shelling as a plane falls on a school building
Along the Line of Control, which divides the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, there were heavy exchanges of fire between both armies.
The Indian army said three civilians were killed when Pakistani troops 鈥渞esorted to arbitrary firing,鈥 including gunfire and artillery shelling, across the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two countries, and their international border. It said it was 鈥渞esponding in a proportionate manner.鈥
Shortly after India's strikes, an aircraft fell on a school building in the outskirts of the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, according to Srinagar police and residents.
鈥淭here was a huge fire in the sky. Then we heard several blasts also,鈥 said Mohammed Yousuf Dar, a resident of southern Wuyan village in the Pampore area, where the incident occurred.
Firefighters struggled for hours to douse the fires.
State-run Pakistan Television, quoting security officials, said the country鈥檚 air force shot down five Indian jets in retaliation but provided no additional detail. There was no immediate comment from India about 笔补办颈蝉迟补苍鈥檚 claim. 笔补办颈蝉迟补苍鈥檚 Foreign Affairs Ministry has said Indian forces had launched the strikes from inside Indian airspace.
Pakistan said the strike posed a significant threat to commercial air traffic. 鈥淭his reckless escalation has brought the ,鈥 the statement said.
Meanwhile, authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir shut Srinagar city鈥檚 airport for civilian flights following directions from the Indian air force, senior airport official said Javed Anjum said.
India speaks to US
The Indian Embassy in Washington said in a statement that national security advisor Ajit Doval spoke with U.S. 春色直播 Security Advisor and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the strikes. The embassy said 鈥淚ndia has credible leads, technical inputs, testimony of survivors鈥 that point towards 鈥渢he clear involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists in the attack.鈥
Indian officials said the armed forces had used precision strike weapon systems to carry out the strikes, targeting the headquarters of militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke.
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Saaliq and Roy reported from New Delhi. Butt and Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Hussain reported from Srinagar, India. Associated Press writers Ishfaq Hussian in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, Babar Dogar in Lahore, Pakistan, and Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan contributed to this story.
