Two sworn enemies, both nuclear-armed. A disputed region. A deadly attack on tourists. And now, retaliation.
India launched military strikes against Pakistan on May 7 as tensions between the two rival nations spiraled.
“Anything can happen,” a former top Pakistani security official told USA TODAY.
India said it launched missiles targeting “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the divided Himalayan territory that India also controls a section of.
Pakistan’s military said it shot down five Indian aircraft during the attack – a claim unconfirmed by India.
Pakistan said India’s attack killed at least 26 civilians and wounded 46 more. India’s army said at least 10 civilians were killed and 35 injured in cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops in Kashmir.
As Pakistan’s military vows to respond further to India’s strikes, here’s what you need to know about the escalating crisis.
India blames Pakistan for an April 22 attack in Pahalgam, a picturesque Himalayan meadow, that killed 26 tourists, most of them Hindu men. India has for decades accused Pakistan of supporting militant attacks and says it has evidence a group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist militant outfit based in Pakistan, carried out the Pahalgam attack.