Pakistan, in a dangerous escalation of tensions with India, used missiles and drones to attack military bases in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur late on Thursday evening.All the bases are in proximity to the International Boundary (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir.”The threats were swiftly neutralized by the Indian armed forces using kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities in line with the established standard operating procedures (SoPs). No casualties or material losses were reported. India remains fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people,” stated an official release from the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and Ministry of Defence (MoD). Kinetic warfare involves the use of physical force, weapons etc to neutralize the enemy, including their infrastructure. Non-kinetic warfare involves cyber, electronic, information warfare besides use of economic sanctions and diplomatic sanctions etc to weaken the enemy’s morale, capabilities and decision-making capacity. Following Pakistan’s escalation, many cities in J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, including Srinagar, Jammu, Poonch-Rajouri, Kupwara, Jaisalmer, Chandigarh, Mohali, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran, were placed under a blackout. People in some places reported hearing loud explosions throughout the evening. “We are under a blackout since 8pm. We heard some loud explosions in the city and the night sky lit up with explosions but no casualty has been reported so far. The government has asked people to stay indoors and schools have been shut down Wednesday,” said a person in Jammu, who didn’t wish to be named. Twenty five airports in North and western India were also temporarily shut. In the Kashmir Valley, heavy cross border shelling following the use of drones was reported in forward areas.
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