Indian strikes on Pakistan damaged six airfields, Washington Post finds – The Washington Post

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1. SS: **Detailed Summary of Washington Post Article (May 14, 2025):**

   **Title:**
   *Indian strikes on Pakistan damaged six airfields, Post analysis finds*

   **Overview:**
   A visual analysis by *The Washington Post* using satellite imagery and videos confirms that Indian airstrikes on May 10, 2025, inflicted damage on six Pakistani airfields. This marks the most significant Indian air assault on Pakistan’s military infrastructure since the 1971 war. The strikes occurred in retaliation for a deadly militant attack in Kashmir, which India blamed on Pakistan.

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   ### **Key Findings from the Analysis:**

   * **Strikes and Damage:**

   * **Infrastructure hit**: 3 hangars, 2 runways, and 2 mobile air force buildings.
   * **Depth of penetration**: Some targets were as far as 100 miles into Pakistani territory.
   * **Airfields confirmed hit**: Nur Khan, Bholari, Shahbaz, Mushaf, Sukkur Airport, and Sheikh Zayed International Airport.

   * **Impact Assessment:**

   * Damage was *“meaningful”* but not entirely disabling, according to multiple experts.
   * Some hangars showed missile impact holes up to 100 feet wide.
   * Runways at Mushaf and Sheikh Zayed airports were cratered, though under repair within a day.

   —

   ### **Expert Commentary:**

   * **Walter Ladwig (King’s College London):**

   * Called this the most extensive Indian aerial offensive on Pakistan since 1971.
   * Suggests a strategic shift in India’s military doctrine—moving beyond Kashmir to deeper Pakistani targets.

   * **William Goodhind (Contested Ground):**

   * Confirmed destruction of mobile control centers and radar facilities.
   * Described damage as targeting Pakistan’s air capabilities.

   * **Jeffrey Lewis (Middlebury College):**

   * Air bases were hit but remain operational.

   * **Christopher Clary (University at Albany):**

   * Interpreted the strikes as serious, but not devastating to Pakistan’s air force.

   —

   ### **Site-Specific Damage:**

   * **Nur Khan Air Base (Rawalpindi):**

   * Two mobile control centers destroyed.
   * Located near Pakistan’s nuclear command and central military HQs—raising concern over potential misinterpretation of intent.

   * **Bholari Air Base:**

   * Major damage to a hangar that may house Saab 2000 surveillance aircraft.

   * **Shahbaz Air Base:**

   * Hangar with a 100-foot hole; control tower also damaged.

   * **Sukkur Airport:**

   * Collapsed hangar and destroyed radar site.

   * **Mushaf Air Base & Sheikh Zayed Airport:**

   * Runways cratered; Royal Lounge at Sheikh Zayed reportedly heavily damaged.

   —

   ### **Casualties and Military Response:**

   * **Pakistani Casualties:**

   * Six air force personnel killed (5 at Bholari, 1 at Mushaf).

   * **Pakistan’s Reaction:**

   * Claimed to have intercepted most Indian missiles.
   * Acknowledged hits on five bases and one civilian airport.
   * Asserts confidence in air defenses.

   * **India’s Position:**

   * Claimed to strike 11 sites.
   * Described strikes as “measured” and “calibrated.”
   * PM Modi warned of further retaliation if more attacks occur.

   —

   ### **Geopolitical Context:**

   * **Triggering Incident:**

   * April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 civilians.
   * India blames Pakistan; Pakistan denies involvement and demands international inquiry.

   * **U.S. Mediation:**

   * Hostilities halted quickly after intervention and a ceasefire announcement by President Donald Trump.

   —

   ### **Strategic Implications:**

   * India is now clearly treating cross-border terrorist attacks as justification for conventional military retaliation beyond border zones.
   * This shift introduces higher risks of escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

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