Pakistan shoots down Indian quadcopter amid cross-border shelling

The Pakistan Army shot down an Indian quadcopter early on May 9, as both sides exchanged heavy fire in several sectors across the Kashmir region.

According to security sources in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Azad Jammu and Kashmir), the Pakistan forces show down the Indian quadcopter around 3:15 a.m. local time in the Baghsar sector of the Samahni region, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

Shortly afterward, Pakistani officials accused Indian forces of launching unprovoked shelling on civilian areas in multiple districts, including Bagh, Poonch, and Neelum Valley.

One civilian, identified as 22-year-old Osama Ishrat, was reportedly killed in Chowki Kotetri village, with two of his sisters injured in the shelling launched by the Indian army. Similarly, in Hajira town of Poonch district, three civilians sustained injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Shelling also caused damage to private vehicles and triggered widespread panic among residents.

The Indian army also reportedly opened missile and mortar fire in Madarpur, Haveli, and several parts of Pakistan-administered Neelum Valley, including Shahkot, Athmuqam, Sharda, Kel, and Kundal Shahi. In Upper Kel, a young man was critically injured, and the local NADRA government office suffered heavy damage. Authorities in Neelum Valley implemented a total blackout as a safety precaution amid ongoing shelling.

In response, Pakistan’s military claimed to have retaliated by targeting Indian military installations across the Line of Contact. According to Pakistani security sources, the Pakistan Army struck Indian posts in Pandu and Haji Pir sectors, reportedly destroying military infrastructure, including a post and battalion headquarters at Nanga Tak. 

Tensions between the two nations continue to escalate, with the latest clashes involving drone attacks. Indian military sources reported blasts in Jammu, Indian Kashmir, on May 8, which they suspect were caused by a Pakistani drone attack. Pakistan, for its part, claimed to have shot down 25 Indian drones overnight, while India reported intercepting Pakistani drone and missile attacks on military targets.

World powers, from the US to Russia and China, have urged both nations to exercise restraint in what is widely regarded as one of the most volatile and densely populated nuclear flashpoints in the world

By Sabina Mammadli