India FM Says Kashmir Strike Targeted Terrorists, Refutes Military Attack Claims

India's airstrike against a terrorist camp in the disputed Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Jammu and Kashmir region was not a military attack because the Indian jets were targeting terrorists, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Indian Air Force carried out an airstrike against a camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist group, which claimed responsibility for the deadly terrorist attack against the Indian security convoy on 14 February. The camp was situated in the Pakistani-controlled part of the Kashmir region.

The Indian Foreign Ministry said that the attack was necessary. However, the Pakistani National Security Council reportedly rejected the claims that the airstrike targeted terrorists.

According to Swaraj, Pakistani authorities have denied that they were aware of the fact that the group was located on the Pakistani territory. The minister added that India located the terrorists' camp before the airstrike in order to prevent civilian casualties.

Swaraj is participating in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi in China.

After February's terrorist attack, which killed 45 Indian paramilitary officers, the traditionally strained relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated even further as India blamed Pakistan for harboring the terrorists responsible for the attack and accused Islamabad of having a "direct hand" in the incident.

Pakistan in turn, rejected the allegations of its involvement in the attack and said that this was India's strategy to divert international attention from human rights violations in the Kashmir region.

Both India and Pakistan along with China have been contesting Kashmir since 1947. The state is currently divided between the three sides, with Line of Control serving as a de facto border between the Indian and the Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir.