A Four-Day Escalation: How the India-Pakistan Conflict Unfolded

On Sunday, both India and Pakistan claimed victory following an agreement to a ceasefire after days of rapid escalation sparked by a deadly terrorist attack last month in Indian-administered Kashmir. The conflict raised fears of a potential full-scale war between these two nuclear-armed nations.

India blamed Pakistan’s history of harboring terrorist groups for the April 22 attack and launched airstrikes across the border. Pakistan responded in kind with retaliatory air raids. The confrontations quickly intensified, with both sides striking deeper into each other’s territories than at any point in the last half-century.

On Saturday, U.S. mediation helped facilitate a ceasefire agreement, which appeared to hold throughout Sunday—the first full day of the fragile truce. While it will take weeks or months to assess the full toll amid media blackouts and widespread misinformation, the following summarizes what is currently known about how the clashes unfolded.

Initial Airstrikes

In the early hours before dawn on Wednesday, India launched its first wave of air attacks, targeting locations farther inside Pakistani territory than it had in decades. Evidence suggests these strikes were close enough to terrorist-linked facilities to claim a tactical success.

However, what initially seemed like a swift attack developed into a prolonged aerial confrontation, with both air forces engaging each other but avoiding crossing established boundaries. India sustained losses during the exchanges, including at least two of its most advanced fighter jets. Indian officials have neither confirmed nor denied these losses but have not dismissed reports of aircraft downed.