A series of military strikes last week by India and Pakistan brought the nuclear-armed rivals closer to a broader war.

With last-minute U.S. mediation, cooler heads prevailed between India and Pakistan. But a flare-up is inevitable.

L AST WEEK, in the midst of the India-Pakistan crisis, J.D. Vance, America’s vice-president, noted: “We’re not going to get involved in the middle of [a] war that’s fundamentally none of our business.

By Aftab Ahmed, Shivam Patel and Saurabh Sharma JAMMU, India/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The military operations chiefs of India and Pakistan spoke by phone on Monday, the Indian army said, as New Delhi reopened airports and shares rose in both countries following a ceasefire that paused days of intense fighting last week.

A ceasefire agreed between India and Pakistan appears to be holding, with both sides stressing their commitment to the surprise truce which halted the worst fighting in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

The two countries agreed to a truce a day earlier after talks to defuse their most serious military confrontation in decades.

By Aftab Ahmed, Shivam Patel and Abhijith GanapavaramJAMMU, India/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -India's military operations chief is expected to hold talks on Monday with his Pakistan counterpart about the next steps after a ceasefire,