chennai l saturday l may 10, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 22 l late city EDITION Donald Trump wants quick de-escalation: White House US President Donald Trump wants to see the conflict between India and Pakistan de-escalate as quickly as possible, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said NSA and Secy of state Marco Rubio involved in it Turkish heartless pakistan military put civilian fliers in harm’s way fingerprint seen in downed On May 7, the day India took out Pak’s terror infra, the neighbour did not close its civil airspace while trying to attack Indian installations with drones and missiles. Else, it knew the strikes would draw a swift Indian response. In effect, it used its civil airliners as a shield. The defence ministry shared screenshots of flight movement on the website flightradar24 to prove its point (see map) drones Drone of war deafens border again Three injured in Punjab as debris falls on house; bid to attack Srinagar, Jammu airports foiled; air defence systems take out most of the projectiles fired from across the border PoK DAY 3 FAYA Z W A N I , H A R P R E E T B A J W A , R ajesh A snani & M ayank S ingh @ Srinagar / Chandigarh/ Jaipur / New Delhi dashing hopes of an immediate de-escalation in tensions, Pakistan on Friday launched another wave of drone attacks targeting key Indian locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan. The drones specifically targeted army bases in Srinagar and Awantipora and the Jammu airport, which also houses the Indian Air Force station. Multiple explosions were heard near Srinagar airport as the air defence systems engaged the drones. “Drones have been sighted at 26 locations ranging from the Baramulla in the North to Bhuj in the South, along both the International Border and the Line of Control with Pakistan. These include suspected armed drones posing potential threats to civilian and military targets,” the Army said. The loca- china Baramulla Srinagar Avantipura Nagrota Jammu Pathankot Ferozpur Fazilka Pakistan Lalgarh Jatta Jaisalmer INDIA Barmer View of the blackout enforced in Amritsar city, Punjab on Friday | PTI tions include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala, it added. Indian defence systems neutralised all drones. In Punjab, the debris fell on a house, injuring three. The condition of one person is said to be serious. “There was heavy drone attack at Khai Pheme Ki village near Ferozepur. One of the drones that was neutralised fell down like a ball of fire on to a house, injuring three. One lady who was cooking suffered extensive burn injuries. A CNG car parked outside the house caused a blast and the house caught fire,” an official said. Sources said the village is situated close to the army cantonment, which may have been the original target. In Jammu and Kashmir, red streaks were seen and several loud explosions heard in Jammu city and its adjoining areas as the air defence systems neutralised the kamikaze drones launched from across the border. Bhuj Some of the cities targeted on Friday Map not to scale ‘Those in border areas must stay indoors’ Citizens, especially those in border areas, must stay indoors, limit unnecessary movement, and strictly follow safety instructions issued by local authorities, the army said in an advisory. There is no need for panic, but vigilance and precaution are essential, it added 400 UAVs incursions in 1 really long night M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi Operational details shared by the government on Friday showed the massive scale of Pakistan’s incursion the previous night, as it deployed 300-400 drones across 36 locations from Leh in the North to the Sir Creek region in Gujarat. While the UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) attempted to target the military infrastructure, Indian forces neutralised many of them using kinetic (blowing them away) and nonkinetic (jamming) means, a defence ministry spokesperson said. An armed drone strike on Bhatinda in Punjab was also thwarted. India retaliated by launching drone strikes on four Pakistani air defence sites, destroying a radar. Apart from the aerial attacks, Pakistan resorted to heavy ar- During the intervening night of May 8 and 9, Pakistan carried out strikes using 300-400 drones against India at 36 locations along the western borders from Leh in the north to Sir Creek in Gujarat Meant to test defence The possible purpose of such large-scale aerial intrusions was to test Indian air defence systems and collect intelligence, the defence ministry said tillery fire across the Line of Control (LoC), resulting in Indian Army casualties. India gave a fitting response, the government shared. Besides, Pakistan showed scant respect for civilians as it kept its civil airspace open during its counter-assault on May 7, the day India took out the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, said the spokesperson. Pakistan apparently used the civilian fliers as a shield to ward off India’s fierce response. express read Pak attacks: Stalin to hold unity march today ED unearths a web of corrupt TN consultants Chennai: In solidarity with Indian Armed Forces in the wake of attacks by Pakistan, CM Stalin will hold a unity march on Saturday from the DGP’s office to the War Memorial on Marina Beach | P9 Chennai: ED seized `4.73 crore and unearthed a corruption ring involving consultants of TN departments while probing a PMLA case on ex-environment department officer S Pandian | P4 Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said preliminary examination of downed drones showed they were Turkey’s Asisguard Songars 1 The Songar has five variants, including a noncombat one. Can be used “effectively in any kind of day/ night military and security operations”. It has a range of about 10 km, with a load carrying capacity of 45 kg, an option for asymmetric threats 2 Developed by Asisguard, an Ankara-based firm, Songar is a low-altitude, quadrotor, UAV that was developed for the Turkish armed forces. Has been in use since 2020 for battlefield operations as well as internal security duties 3 SONGAR has an autonomous take-off and landing capability. It is integrated with a machine gun and grenade launcher. With the capability of real-time image transmission, it can detect target area, neutralise threat and damage detection 4