India has shot down a third Pakistani drone since border tensions escalated following a terror attack on Indian soldiers and its retaliatory strike against militants inside the Islamic republic, which led to a mid-air dogfight.
After the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) intruded in Indian airspace in the northern border state of Rajasthan, around 7.30pm on Saturday, the drone was “engaged and brought down,” the army said.
Previously the army had shot down two Pakistani drones following the February 26 airstrikes, when the Indian Air Force crossed the Line of Control in Kashmir to attack terrorist targets inside Pakistan. That attack followed a suicide bombing in India’s section of the disputed territory on February 14 that killed more than 40 Indian paramilitary forces.
While India claimed to have destroyed a hideout used by Pakistani-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and killed multiple terrorists, Pakistan maintains there had been no terrorists in the area. The February 26 incident increased tensions between the nuclear-armed foes, leading to sporadic cross border skirmishes.