PAKISTAN claims to have killed up to 50 Indian soldiers as they vow to get revenge for “every drop of blood” spilt in the deadly conflict.

The nuclear-armed neighbours are teetering on the brink of an all-out war as border clashes in Kashmir continue after several Indian missile strikes and drone attacks.

Devastated locals inspect their decimated home in the village of Salamabad in Indian-administered Kashmir after a mass shooting which India blames on Pakistan
Credit: Alamy

A damaged house after Pakistan shelling in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmi
Credit: Rex

Footage has emerged of Indian rockets being fired at Pakistan in retaliation for the shooting
Credit: X/clashreport

Pakistan’s military operations across the last two days have resulted in the deaths of between “40-50 Indian soldiers”, according to information minister Attuallah Tarar.

Fighting between the two powerful nations has intensified this week along the de facto border between Indian and Pakistani-controlled areas of the Kashmir region.

Tensions boiled over in the early hours of Wednesday morning after India launched a terrifying barrage of missile strikes on nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Islamabad accused their neighbours of deliberately targeting civilians in the attacks as they hit back with days of intense shelling.

Both sides have now accused each other of sending drones and missiles at one another.

Pakistan’s armed forces also managed to take down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones sent by India today, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The ISPR report added that India was “panicked by the elimination of its five modern jets, several drones and soldier deaths”.

The prime minster boasted that it “took only a few hours” to bring the Indian military “to its knees”.

They also accused Islamabad of using mortars and heavy calibre artillery in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

Horrified locals were pictured standing inside their crumbling homes as smoke continued to rise across Kashmir early this morning.

Officials stated the Indian army responded with gunfire of their own to halt the attacks.

These back and forth attacks have led to the death tolls from both sides sharply rising.

India says 16 people, including three women and five children, have died since Wednesday morning due to Pakistani aggression.

Indian officials also said that border force security shot dead a “Pakistani intruder” who was trying to cross the International Border in Punjab on Thursday.

As Pakistan‘s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a televised address to the nation as he said over 30 people were killed in the latest round of enemy strikes.

A seven-year-old boy was among the victims with another 57 also injured, the PM claimed.

Smoke rises from Bilal Mosque after it was hit by an Indian strike in Muzaffarabad
Credit: Reuters

People inspect the damage from an Indian missile attack in Muzaffarabad, Kashmir
Credit: Rex

Damage left behind after Pakistani shelling in Uri sector of North Kashmir
Credit: Rex

Sharif also issued a chilling threat to the Indian government as he said: “I promise that we will take revenge for every drop of blood of these victims.”

He called on Pakistanis to show “courage” in the face of evil across the border.

Sharif went on to repeat claims that his men shot down several Indian fighter jets – including three French-made Rafales.

Heavy gunfire is continuing along the volatile Line of Control in Kashmir despite India describing it as “unprovoked firing”.

The volatile clashes erupted this week when India claimed they hit terror infrastructure in a planned operation labelled “Operation Sindoor” on Wednesday morning.

Pakistan said they targeted civilian regions but New Delhi insisted iy only hit sites used by militants.

They claimed up to 100 terrorists were killed across the terror camps, local outlet NDTV reports.

India’s Ministry of Defence said the strikes were in retaliation to a “barbaric” mass shooting in Kashmir last month, when 26 people were killed by gunmen.

India blames Pakistan for the shooting – but the latter denies any involvement.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has now warned that Operation Sindoor “is not over” with further attacks expected from both sides.

Pakistan branded it a “cowardly and unlawful act of war”.

Why are India and Pakistan enemies?

DISPUTES between India and Pakistan over the region of Kashmir date back decades.

The Muslim-majority territory was fought over in the aftermath of both countries’ independence following the partition of India in 1947.

War between India and Pakistan would break out again in 1965 – which ended in a ceasefire.

Kashmir’s control remains divided to this day, and tensions frequently flare up over the region.

India also fought Pakistan wars in 1971 and 1999 – with the conflict in the 70s resulting the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.

And the current conflict stems from how the region was split up as the two countries were gaining independence.

Indian troops took two-thirds of Kashmir, while Pakistan seized the northern third.

Since then, the row has developed into one of the most intense geopolitical rivalries on earth.

There are about 16 million people in Kashmir, split between the Indian-controlled and Pakistani-controlled zones.

The country has been hugely impacted by the devastating attacks in recent days with airports in three major cities set to be shut until 6 pm (1pm UK time), the Civil Aviation Authority announced.

Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad airports will be closed for “operational reasons”.

Emirates has also suspended flights to Pakistan until May 10, Reuters reports.

It comes as US President Donald Trump spoke on the ongoing battle and said he is prepared to do “anything to help”.

Sir Keir Starmer also told Parliament Britain is now “engaging urgently” with both of the Commonwealth countries.

The prime minister said he is “encouraging dialogue” and urging “de-escalation”.

India and Pakistan are being urged to step back from armageddon as a nuclear war between the two rivals could kill up to 125 million people.

Peace campaigners like the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons are “gravely concerned” and have called for the two sides to step back from the brink.

Residents gather as police inspect the site where an alleged Indian drone was shot down in Karachi
Credit: AFP

A woman looks at her home after a night of intense shelling from Pakistan
Credit: Alamy
India and Pakistan only have small stockpiles of nuclear weapons compared to Russia or America – but they have a viscous rivalry and longstanding feud over Kashmir.

New Delhi is estimated to have 170 nuclear warheads and can deliver them through land, sea, or air.

Islamabad was last officially thought to also have 170 weapons – but that could have grown that arsenal to around 200.

Colonel Philip Ingram, a former British Army commander, said the West will be particularly nervous about a nuclear conflict.

Ingram told The Sun: “Western intelligence in particular will be focused on the readiness and the outloading of nuclear stocks inside both Pakistan and India and monitoring what’s happening to them very closely indeed.

“The worrying thing about these two nations is that the tensions are very real.”

How nuclear war could kill 125 million?

By James Halpin, Foreign News Reporter

INDIA and Pakistan are being urged to step back from armageddon as a nuclear war between the two rivals could kill 125million people.

The fighting neighbours traded rocket and artillery attacks in an overnight blitz leaving dozens dead and fears of all-out conflict.

Now, fears are abound that fighting could escalate to the use of nuclear weapons and kill tens of millions.

Peace campaigners like the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons are “gravely concerned” and have called for the two sides to step back from the brink.

And Colonel Philip Ingram, a former British Army commander, said the West will be particularly nervous about a nuclear conflict.

Ingram told The Sun: “Western intelligence in particular will be focused on the readiness and the outloading of nuclear stocks inside both Pakistan and India and monitoring what’s happening to them very closely indeed.

“The worrying thing about these two nations is that the tensions are very real.

“The nuclear weapons are not there to protect them against attack from China or Russia or anyone else. It’s focused purely on each other.”

Ingram said escalation to using nuclear weapons could happen rapidly and powers like the US would step in to try and prevent their use.

He said: “The US Secretary of State, flying into India and Pakistan, would carry out shuttle diplomacy between the two.”

But that might not be enough to overcome the animosity between the two enemies and their desire to escalate the conflict.

Xiaodon Liang, a Senior Policy Analyst, Nuclear Weapons Policy and Disarmament, at Arms Control Association also said the primary concern should be the possibility of a battlefield use escalating to “strategic nuclear exchanges”.

Liang said: “Pakistan has made very clear that it will use nuclear weapons to prevent a full-scale Indian invasion of its territory, and the potential for uncontrollable escalation is part of what makes every crisis between India and Pakistan particularly dangerous.”

Heavily armed Indian soldiers stand close to the border with Pakistan
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