Thousands of flights are disrupted worldwide as Pakistan airspace is closed for a second day following escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Hostility between India and Pakistan has been roiling since mid-February when a suicide bomber killed more than 40 troops in Indian Kashmir. New Delhi vowed retaliation, blaming Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

Pressure spiked on Wednesday when Pakistan claimed its air force shot down two Indian jets over the disputed border region of Kashmir. The confrontation came a day after India said it launched airstrikes against a JeM training camp in Pakistan territory in the first such incursion by Indian air force planes since the India-Pakistan war of 1971. India confirmed the loss of one plane in the Wednesday incident and said it shot down a Pakistani jet as it responded. Pakistan claimed to have captured an Indian pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, with India demanding his safe return.

 
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