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India, Pakistan conflicts deepens

Published

5 years ago

February 28, 2019

Olu Emmanuel

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India hits uninhabited forest in air raid

The conflicts between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir border have continued to heat up the international community. However, no collateral damage has been recorded in the show of power between the two countries.

Indian bombing inside Pakistani territory had struck a mostly uninhabited forest and a farmer’s wheat field.

Apparently, Indian air raids launched on Pakistani territory earlier this week destroyed parts of a mostly uninhabited forest and a farmer’s field, witnesses and local officials were said to have revealed. However, it was gathered that mystery still surrounds a religious school run by the armed group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) near the bombing site.

Four bombs hit a forest and a field in a remote area outside of the northern Pakistani town of Jaba, about 100km north of the capital, Islamabad.

Splintered pine trees and rocks were strewn across the blast craters, and there was no evidence of any building debris or casualties. Metal shrapnel from the bombs was visible in four distinct craters.

India claimed on Tuesday to have conducted air raids against a “Jaish-e-Muhammad training camp” in the area, saying “a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for [suicide] action were eliminated.”

Pakistan has denied sustaining any casualties. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s military said its aircraft launched air raids on six locations in the Indian-administered territory of the disputed region of Kashmir.

Local hospital officials and several residents who rushed to the scene said they did not find any bodies or wounded people following the indian attack, which took place at approximately 3.00am local time on Tuesday (22:00 GMT).

“I woke up at the sound of the first explosion, and ran out of bed,” said Nooran Shah, 58, a farmer on whose land two of the bombs landed. “The second blast knocked the doors off my house.”

When Shah went outside to investigate, he said, a piece of shrapnel or a stone struck him on the forehead, wounding him.

Syed Rehman Shah, 50, a neighbour, said he, too, ran from his home when he heard the blasts.

“I heard four loud explosions, separated by a few seconds each,” said Rehman Shah. “It felt like the day of judgement had come.”

Shah said he saw “fire and smoke” as he ran to the aid of his neighbour.

His forehead wounded, Shah fell unconscious. He was later moved to safety and taken to a hospital. The walls of Shah’s home appeared to have cracked and there were several holes in the walls where shrapnel seemed to have hit.

“We are just farmers out here, we grow wheat and maize,” said Rehman Shah. “Some people keep some livestock.”