An Indian air force plane crashed in India-administered Kashmir on Wednesday according to an Indian official.
Two pilots and at least one civilian were killed, according to the official. The official says the incident occurred after at least three Pakistan combat jets entered India-administered Kashmir airspace. The official said Indian air force jets scrambled and intercepted the Pakistan planes, which then flew back.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistani police said mortar shells fired by Indian troops from across the frontier in the Himalayan region of Kashmir struck homes, killing six civilians and wounding several others.
Earlier, India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said her country wants to avoid any “further escalation of the situation.” She stressed during a visit to China on Wednesday that “no military installations were targeted” in the air raid, describing the operation as a “pre-emptive strike” to prevent another attack in India by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group.
Tuesday’s air raid came after India threatened retaliation over the February 14 suicide bombing, claimed by JeM, that killed 40 Indian troops in India-administered Kashmir.