Pompeo urges India, Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid escalation

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid escalation at any cost, after Pakistan carried out air strikes and shot down two Indian jets on Wednesday.

Those strikes came a day after Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistan for the first time since a war in 1971.

Pompeo said in a statement he had spoken to foreign ministers from Indian and Pakistan and "encouraged both Ministers to prioritize direct communication and avoid further military activity." (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Ed Klamann in HANOI; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)