(ZeroHedge)—Friday has seen the border conflict between India and Pakistan escalate once again, with The New York Times describing that it has escalated to the most expansive military clashes in decades. Entire large expanses of border zones are swarming with drones overhead – a first in the history of the long-running rivalry.
“There were reports of nonstop barrages along the border overnight into Friday, as well as reports of attacks by Pakistan into the Indian city of Jammu, a part of Kashmir,” the Times report says, citing that drone attacks have been exchanged along India’s entire western border.
Pakistan has rejected Indian Army claims that all drone attacks into India have been intercepted. There’s been days of a ‘fog of war’ environment in which it’s been impossible for outside media to verify each claim and counter-claim.
NYT further observes:
India’s defense officials said Pakistan’s military had attempted aerial intrusions in 36 locations with “300 to 400” drones to test India’s air defense system. The officials said they had identified the drones as made in Turkey.
And more troop losses have been reported, after Pakistan claimed up to 50 Indian droops had died in the last day of fighting. Indian defense officials said their forces had suffered “some losses and injuries” last night, a Times correspondent says Friday.
According to more, “Artillery in the disputed region of Kashmir has been ferocious, and dozens of civilians have been reported killed on both sides of the boundary.”
But despite several historic wars between the nuclear-armed rivals, what makes this week ‘new’ and unprecedented is the use of drones and loitering munitions, or ‘suicide’ UAVs.
“Still, the escalation is not visible in the death toll” – in towns and villages along the Line of Control (LOC), NYT continues. “Relatively few people have been reported killed by those weapons since the first night of India’s offensive.”
The ongoing blackout in Indian-administered Kashmir has been accompanied by the constant sounds of shelling and overhead drones. “I’m at my workplace and can see red light and explosions in the sky,” one local eyewitness told Al Jazeera.
Blackout in Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra:
Al Jazeera’s latest reporting also strongly suggests rapid escalation, including alleged militants seeking to cross into India from Pakistani areas:
We’re also getting reports of a blackout in Jammu.
There have been fast-moving developments overnight, including India saying it has taken down several Pakistani drones and missiles and also stopped armed men trying to cross into the Indian side.
There have also been a lot of security developments in many cities, including the Indian capital, New Delhi, which is on high alert.
And CNN in a fresh update reports, “We can hear sirens and there is complete blackout. … We can hear the blasts intermittently for about 20 to 30 minutes now; my family and I are hunkered down at home.”
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