At Least 8 Killed in India's Attack on Pakistan

At least eight people were killed and dozens more injured Wednesday amid India's missile attack in the disputed region of Kashmir, though details are still developing. India fired missiles over the border into Pakistani-controlled territory, and Indian and Pakistani forces reportedly exchanged heavy artillery fire after that. The Guardian cites a local Indian government official who said eight Indians had been killed and 29 wounded in a border town, though the newspaper notes it's not clear whether that was in addition to the three deaths initially reported. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal cites a Pakistani army spokesperson saying at least eight civilians have been killed and 35 injured, but those details were similarly hazy.

Pakistan also says it shot down five Indian fighter jets and a drone near the border, Reuters and the BBC report. India's missile attack came in retaliation to a terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed dozens of people last month; the country says it struck terrorist camps that have been used to plan attacks. Pakistan denies any involvement in the April attack. This is the biggest escalation in the conflict between the nuclear-armed countries in more than two decades, and China issued a statement Wednesday urging both sides to exercise restraint, CNN reports. Dozens of commercial flights have been diverted or canceled since the attack in an effort to avoid Pakistani airspace. (More India-Pakistan relations stories.)