Trump and Vance would rather stay out of it as India and Pakistan spiral toward war

Fears are swelling of an all-out war between India and Pakistan amid questions over how much of a mediating role the United States will be able to play.

With suspended cricket matches, power outages and air-raid sirens, fears are swelling of an all-out war between India and Pakistan amid questions over how much of a mediating role the United States will be able to play.

The nuclear-armed neighbors engaged in their worst fighting in decades on Wednesday, when India launched an assault on Pakistan in response to a deadly terrorist attack for which New Delhi blames Islamabad.

Almost four dozen people were killed in the initial violence between the two countries, including India’s strikes on what it said were “terror camps” and the shelling in response by Pakistan, which denies involvement in the April 22 attack in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Pakistan claimed partial victory, saying it downed five Indian fighter jets and dozens of drones, which India has not confirmed. India has said it does not wish to escalate but will respond firmly if Pakistan strikes its territory.

Demonstrators burn an effigy of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Multan, Pakistan, on Thursday.Shahid Saeed Mirza / AFP - Getty ImagesBoth countries accused each other of continuing to launch new attacks on Friday, including shelling towns near their de facto border that Pakistan said killed five civilians. The Indian army also said it had “effectively repulsed” drone attacks by Pakistan, which denied the claim.