Pakistan claims downing 12 Indian drones overnight

Pakistani officials announced Thursday that the country’s air defense systems shot down a dozen Indian drones overnight, including one that struck a military site near Lahore, injuring soldiers and causing damage.

It follows Indian missile strikes on Pakistani locations that killed 31 civilians a day earlier, including women and children, according to officials.

Meanwhile, India evacuated thousands of people from villages near the two countries’ highly militarized frontier in the disputed region of Kashmir.

Tensions between the two countries have spiked since April 22, when gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian Hindu tourists, in India-controlled Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of backing the gunmen who carried out the attack, something Islamabad has denied.

Pakistan’s army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, said an Indian drone wounded four soldiers and partially damaged a military target near Lahore overnight, while the country’s air defense system intercepted and shot down 12 Indian drones that entered Pakistani airspace at various locations. He gave no further details about the attack.

He added that in southern Sindh province, one civilian was killed and another wounded when debris from downed drones fell in a populated area._Agencies