Several dead including children as Pakistan downs Indian jets after New Delhi launches missile strikes into Kashmir
India has launched missiles at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, amid fears of an all-out war between the two nuclear powers.
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The Indian Ministry of Defence said it launched 'Operation Sindoor', targeted at 'terrorist infrastructure' in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
It said the nine sites it struck were used by Pakistani 'terrorists' to plan and launch terror attacks against India.
A Pakistan military spokesperson said three locations were attacked, and Pakistani officials said their country had launched strikes in retaliation.
Pakistan's air force has since shot down two Indian jets according to state-run Pakistan Television, quoting security officials.
Pakistan says Indian missiles launched into its territory in several locations have killed at least eight people - some of these deaths reportedly include children.
The attack raises fears of an all-out war between the two nuclear-armed nations, who have been embroiled in a decades-long conflict over Kashmir.
The Indian Defence Ministry said the attacks are in direct response to the attack in the disputed Kashmir region last month in which gunmen killed 26 people, most of which were Indian tourists.
Read more: At least 26 tourists killed as gunmen open fire in 'terrorist attack' in India, with dozens wounded
India blames Pakistani militants for the attack near the resort town of Pahalgam, but Pakistan denies any connection to the attack. India has provided little evidence to support its claim.
The attack was claimed by a previously unknown militant group, known as the Kashmir Resistance.
One of the missiles launched by India on Wednesday struck a mosque in the city of Bahawalpur in Punjab, where a child was killed, and a woman and man were injured, one Pakistani official said.
A statement by Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said: "The deceitful enemy has carried out cowardly attacks at five locations in Pakistan.
"Pakistan has every right to give a full and strong response to this act of war imposed by India - and a full response is being given. The entire nation stands with the Armed Forces of Pakistan, and the morale and spirit of the Pakistani people are high.
"The Pakistani nation and the Armed Forces of Pakistan know well how to deal with the enemy. We will never allow the enemy to succeed in its nefarious objectives."
Pakistani army spokesman, Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif, told ARY News that the missiles were launched from within Indian territory and that no Indian aircraft had entered Pakistani airspace.
"This was a cowardly attack targeting innocent civilians under the cover of darkness," Mr Sharif told the broadcaster.
Soon after the attack, the official X account of the Indian Army posted the phrase "Justice is served" along with the name of the military operation.
Multiple loud explosions were heard in several places in Pakistan, including in the mountains near the city of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir.
Soon after, the city was left without electricity and experienced a near-total blackout.
In a statement, the Indian defence ministry said: "These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered.
"We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable."
India is expected to hold a press conference on its military operation shortly.
The Indian army also said Pakistan had "fired artillery in Bhimber Gali in Poonch-Rajauri area", just across the dividing line in India-administered Kashmir.
Islamabad had been on high alert since the attack in Pahalgam, claiming it had credible intelligence that India was planning to attack Pakistan.
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
Kashmir has seen a spate of targeted killings of Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, after New Delhi ended the region's semi-autonomy in 2019 and drastically curbed dissent, civil liberties and media freedoms.
Tensions have been simmering as India has intensified its counterinsurgency operations.
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