US President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that he hoped the clashes between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan would end “very quickly,” following New Delhi’s strikes and Islamabad’s pledge of retaliation.
“It’s a shame, we just heard about it,” Trump said at the White House, after the Indian government claimed it had targeted “terrorist camps” on its western neighbor’s territory following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
“I guess people knew something was going to happen based on the past. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades and centuries, actually, if you really think about it,” he added.
“I just hope it ends very quickly,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce issued a brief statement: “The US is keeping a close watch on the swiftly changing situation between Pakistan and India after the attacks by the Indian forces.”
A military response from India had been widely anticipated since gunmen killed 26 people in IIOJK.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reported early Wednesday that at least eight Pakistanis were martyred and 35 injured in Indian missile attacks on cities in Punjab and Azad Kashmir.
The Pakistan armed forces retaliated by shooting down three Indian Air Force (IAF) jets and destroying a brigade headquarters.
“Pakistani armed forces are giving a befitting response to Indian aggression,” ISPR Director-General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated.
Security sources confirmed that the Pakistan Army destroyed an Indian Army brigade headquarters. A missile strike by Pakistani forces also eliminated an enemy post in the Dhundial sector of the Line of Control (LoC).
The Indian strikes occurred just hours after the US State Department issued a renewed call for calm.
“We continue to urge Pakistan and India to work towards a responsible resolution that maintains long-term peace and regional stability in South Asia,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.
Her statement followed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warning to halt water flow across borders in the aftermath of the Kashmir attack.
