August 10, 1999
Web posted at: 8:19 a.m. EDT (1219 GMT)

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- India shot down a Pakistani military plane flying inside Indian airspace Tuesday morning, authorities in New Delhi said.

Officials said the aircraft, a French-built Pakistani naval reconnaissance plane, was flying near India's western border with Pakistan, 5-6 kilometers (2-3 miles) inside Indian airspace.

Pakistani officials said a naval patrol aircraft on a training mission was shot down inside Pakistani airspace, killing all 16 crew members aboard.

The incident came just weeks after hostilities between India and Pakistan in the disputed Kashmir region came to an end. Islamic militants launched that conflict when they crossed the border into the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir and captured several strategic points.

India responded forcefully, eventually driving the intruders back into Pakistan.

Officials provided no details about Tuesday's incident, said CNN's Satinder Bindra in New Delhi, but reports indicated that the wreckage of the downed plane may be located inside Pakistan.

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