India says downed drone, struck Pakistan thrice in 5 years
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The picture shows Pakistani Kashmiri resident Sakina Bibi walking past debris in her house damaged in cross-border shelling in Dhanna village
India says it has shot down a third Pakistani drone since border tensions escalated last month and carried out three cross-border strikes in the last five years.
The nuclear-armed neighbors are facing their most serious conflict in years, with cross-border airstrikes and a dogfight over the skies of Kashmir after a bombing attack on Feb. 14 killed at least 40 Indian police.
Tensions cooled after Pakistan last Friday returned the Indian pilot of a downed aircraft, but both nations have continued to fire shells and mortars over their de facto Kashmir border.
On Saturday, the Indian army said it shot down a Pakistani drone which had intruded into the northern border state of Rajasthan - the third alleged downing since the new skirmishes began.
Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh also said India had carried out three cross-border strikes in Pakistan in the last five years.
Singh said Indian forces struck alleged terrorist “launchpads” in Pakistani Kashmir in 2016, after four militants killed 19 Indian soldiers near the town of Uri.
"We have gone beyond our borders thrice and our men have successfully conducted airstrikes,” Singh told a public rally in Mangalore. “About two I will tell you, but won't tell you about the third one,” he added.
EA
