U.S. Nuclear Emergency Support aircraft touched down in Pakistan

Summary

After days of missile strikes and drone assaults across the India-Pakistan border, India launched a powerful and unprecedented aerial retaliation—one that may have taken the escalating conflict to the doorstep of Pakistan’s nuclear command. Military Briefing According to top Indian military officials, it was Pakistan’s sustained missile barrage and attempted drone strikes on Indian cities that triggered the Indian response. In a press briefing on 11 May 2025, Air Marshal AK Bharti revealed that India had conducted “precise, measured and calibrated” air strikes targeting key Pakistani military infrastructure, including air bases, command centers, and air defense systems across the western front. VIDEO Among the targets reportedly hit were 11 Pakistani military bases—Nur Khan, Rafiqui, Sargodha, Bholari, Murid, Chunian, Pasrur, Sukkur, Sialkot, Skardu, and Jacobabad—within a three-hour window on the night of May 9 and the morning of May 10. Notably, Chaklala Air Base, located within Islamabad and adjacent to the Nur Khan Airbase, was also struck—an operation Indian officials have described as the “turning point.” Government sources called the strikes “hell fire,” citing significant damage to Pakistan’s air power. According to estimates shared by Air Marshal Bharti, nearly 20% of Pakistan’s Air Force infrastructure was degraded. Ammunition depots were also targeted, and key Pakistani assets such as F-16s and JF-17 fighter jets were destroyed. Among the casualties was Squadron Leader Usman Yousuf of the Pakistan Air Force. Nur Khan Airbase But it’s the hit on Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi that had stirred international concern. Located just kilometers from the Strategic Plans Division—the nerve center managing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal—Nur Khan functions as a refueling and logistics hub. The proximity of Indian strikes to Pakistan’s nuclear command structure has triggered urgent diplomatic action, including U.S. intervention. According to international news reports, t...