Even before India and Pakistan won their independence from Britain in August 1947, the area was hotly contested. Under the partition plan provided by the Indian Independence Act,

India and Pakistan are exchanging heavy artillery fire across the line of control that divides Kashmir into Indian- and Pakistani-administered areas. The cross-border fighting began after India launched a major military operation with a series of airstrikes on nine sites,

India targeted nine terrorist training camps at six different locations in Pakistan overnight. Afterward, the two countries exchanged artillery fire along the disputed Line of Control. While the risk of nuclear escalation is real,