Indian warplanes dropped bombs inside Pakistan early on Tuesday, both sides said, as military tensions between the nuclear arch rivals escalated dramatically following last week's Kashmir suicide attack. India said aircraft had destroyed a terrorist training camp where militants were training to carry out an imminent attack. But the Pakistani military said the aircraft had caused no damage after dropping their payload early when repulsed by defending forces. India's foreign minister, Vijay Gokhale, said the action had struck a hilltop training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group, near Balakot. Describing the strikes as "non-military pre-emptive action", he claimed "a very large number of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen [suicide] action were eliminated". The Indian jets crossed the disputed line of control near Muzafarabad in Kashmir, according to Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, spokesman for Pakistan's armed forces. One local police official who declined to be named told the Telegraph that the strike had taken place at Jabba, near Balakot, inside the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Photograph released by Pakistan military said to show site where Indian bombs fell in Kashmir Villagers in the area told Reuters they heard four loud bangs in the early hours of Tuesday but reported only one person wounded by shrapnel. "We saw trees fallen down and one house damaged and four craters where the bombs had fallen," said Mohammad Ajmal, a 25-year-old who visited the site. Pakistan's military released photographs of a crater surrounded by trees in hilly terrain which he said was where the bombs had fallen. “Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot. No casualties or damage," said Maj Gen Ghafoor. He went on: “Under forced hasty withdrawal aircrafts released payload which had free fall in open area. No infrastructure got hit, no casualties.” Media Briefing by Foreign Secretary (February 26, 2019) https://t.co/11jgiQfuBL— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 26, 2019 Pakistan's government said it would hold an emergency meeting to discuss the incident and in the past has said it would retaliate against any aggression from Delhi. Tensions between the neighbours have been raised since at least 40 Indian paramilitary police were killed in a suicide bombing on their convoy near Pulwama in Indian-controlled Kashmir earlier this month. Indian aircrafts’ intrusion across LOC in Muzafarabad Sector within AJ&K; was 3-4 miles.Under forced hasty withdrawal aircrafts released payload which had free fall in open area. No infrastructure got hit, no casualties. Technical details and other important information to follow.— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 26, 2019 Narendra Modi faces a general election this spring and has come under intense domestic pressure to respond to an attack he says was carried out by the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad. Both sides claim Kashmir, which is divided between the neighbours by a heavily militarised line of control. Rivalry over the region has led to two of their three wars. Prakash Javadekar, India's human resource development minister, said: "This was a necessary step for the defence of the country, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given the armed forces a free hand. The whole country stands behind the armed forces." Pakistan's foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi warned India not to challenge Pakistan and said "better sense" should prevail in Delhi. Sign up for your essential, twice-daily briefing from The Telegraph with our free Front Page newsletter.
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