Trump Calls India’s Attack on Pakistan ‘a Shame’, Urges Quick End to Clash

US President Donald Trump expressed hope on Tuesday that the escalating conflict between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan would come to an end “very quickly” following Indian airstrikes and Pakistan’s vow of retaliation.

“It’s a shame, we just heard about it,” Trump commented at the White House, referring to India’s claim that it had targeted “terrorist camps” in Pakistan’s territory after a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He added, “I guess people knew something was going to happen based on the past. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades and centuries, actually, if you really think about it.” Trump concluded, “I just hope it ends very quickly.”

Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce issued a brief statement saying the United States is closely monitoring the rapidly changing situation between India and Pakistan. “The US is keeping a close watch on the swiftly changing situation between Pakistan and India after the attacks by the Indian forces,” Bruce said.

The Indian military response followed an attack in IIOJK in which 26 people were killed. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed early Wednesday that at least eight Pakistanis were martyred, and 35 others injured in Indian missile strikes on cities in Punjab and Azad Kashmir.

Pakistan’s armed forces retaliated by shooting down three Indian Air Force jets and destroying an Indian brigade headquarters. “Pakistani armed forces are giving a befitting response to Indian aggression,” said Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.

Security sources also reported the destruction of an Indian Army brigade headquarters and an enemy post in the Dhundial sector along the Line of Control (LoC).

The Indian strikes came just hours after the US State Department urged both countries to de-escalate. “We continue to urge Pakistan and India to work towards a responsible resolution that maintains long-term peace and regional stability in South Asia,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce stated. Her comments followed a warning from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about halting cross-border water flow in retaliation for the Kashmir attack.

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