Blackout enforced in several cities, explosions heard in Jammu

A complete blackout was enforced in several North Indian cities amid reports that Pakistani drones were attempting to attack the Jammu airport, PTI reported.

Several social media users in Jammu reported hearing explosions and seeing missile streaks in the sky.

Blackouts were imposed in Jammu, Samba, Baramulla and Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir, Amritsar and Jalandhar in Punjab and Bikaner in Rajasthan, ANI reported.

According to Reuters, two blasts and sirens were heard in the city.

This came after the Indian military on Wednesday carried out strikes on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Nine sites were targeted during the strikes, which were codenamed Operation Sindoor.

The Pakistan Army retaliated by shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Sixteen persons were killed in the firing, according to the Ministry of Defence.

On Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Indian forces neutralised attempts by Pakistan to use drones and missiles to target Indian military installations in 15 towns and cities on Wednesday night.

Earlier on Thursday, the Pakistani Army claimed it shot down 25 Indian drones that entered its airspace since Wednesday night, Al-Jazeera reported. Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed that drones were used on targets in the cities of Karachi and Lahore, among other places.

Pakistan said that one civilian was...

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