India Holds Major Air Drill Near Pakistan Weeks After Giant Dogfight
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India concluded a massive two-day air combat drill along its southern border with Pakistan, according to multiple Indian news outlets.
Newsweek has reached out to the Indian Defense Ministry and the office of Pakistan's prime minister for comment.
Why It Matters
The exercise took place nearly a month after India launched its military campaign "Operation Sindoor" targeting Pakistan in their biggest confrontation in decades following a deadly attack on a tourist bus in Kashmir that killed 26 people. Pakistan denied Indian accusations of involvement in that attack.
Four days of fighting was marked by an extensive air battle, one of the largest dogfights since World War II, before the two nuclear rivals reached a ceasefire agreement following U.S. diplomatic efforts.
Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale fighter jet takes off during Ex Desert Knight-21, a bilateral air exercise between IAF and French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace) at Air Force Station...
Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale fighter jet takes off during Ex Desert Knight-21, a bilateral air exercise between IAF and French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace) at Air Force Station in Jodhpur on January 23, 2021. More
PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images
What To Know
The Indian Air Force issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) earlier this week for a large-scale exercise scheduled for June 7 and 8, taking place in Rajasthan's southern sector near the Pakistan border. Aircraft deployed included the Rafale, Mirage 2000, and Sukhoi-30, according to Indian outlets including Firstpost, The Shillong Times, and Mathrubhumi English.
In May, Pakistan said it shot down several Indian planes, including the French-made Rafale and Russian Sukhoi, with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar saying Chinese J-10C jets were used in the operation.
Diplomatic tensions have continued despite a ceasefire agreed under U.S. pressure. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Pakistan of disrupting infrastructure development in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack, Reuters reported Friday.
Pakistan accused India of using claims of developmenta in Jammu and Kashmir to mask an unprecedented military presence, arbitrary arrests, and efforts to alter the region's demography in violation of international law, according to The Associated Press of Pakistan.
Growing tensions also surround India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam attack.
What People Are Saying
India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh wrote in The Times of India on June 6: "India has made it clear that we have a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. Talks and terrorism cannot go hand-in-hand. Any future dialogue with Pakistan will focus solely on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Also, if Pakistan is serious, it must hand over UN-designated terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar."
Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said on June 6, as quoted by the Associated Press of Pakistan: "We are deeply dismayed that the Indian Prime Minister has once again chosen to accuse Pakistan of involvement in the Pahalgam attack, without presenting a single piece of credible evidence."
What Happens Next
Relations between India and Pakistan remain tense and any incident could easily prompt a resumption of hostilities.
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