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Olugbemi. Adeyinka Ogunleye
1 month ago
Overview
The first drone war opens a new chapter in India-Pakistan conflict.
The world's first drone war between nuclear-armed neighbours has erupted in South Asia, according to a report by BBC. On Thursday, India accused Pakistan of launching waves of drones and missiles at three military bases in Indian territory and Indian-administered Kashmir - an allegation Islamabad swiftly denied. Pakistan claimed it had shot down 25 Indian drones in recent hours. Delhi remained publicly silent. Experts say the tit-for-tat attacks mark a dangerous new phase in the decades-old rivalry, as both sides exchange not just artillery but unmanned weapons across a volatile border.
As Washington and other global powers urge restraint, the region is teetering on the edge of escalation, with drones - silent, remote and deniable - opening a new chapter in the India-Pakistan conflict. "The Indo-Pak conflict is moving into a new drone era - one where 'invisible eyes' and unmanned precision may determine escalation or restraint. Thus, in South Asia's contested skies, the side that masters drone warfare won't just see the battlefield - they'll shape it," Jahara Matisek, a professor at the US Naval War College, told the BBC.
Since Wednesday morning, Pakistan says Indian air strikes and cross-border fire have killed 36 people and injured 57 more in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. On the other side, India's army reports at least 16 civilians dead from Pakistani shelling. India insists its missile barrage was retaliation for a deadly militant attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam last month - an attack Islamabad denies any role in.
Pakistan's military announced on Thursday that it had shot down 25 Indian drones across various cities, including Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. The drones - reportedly Israeli-made Harop drones - were reportedly intercepted using both technical and weapon-based countermeasures. India claimed to have neutralised several Pakistani air defence radars and systems, including one in Lahore, which Islamabad denied.
