BALAKOT, Pakistan (AP) A pre-dawn airstrike inside Pakistan that India said targeted a terrorist training camp and killed a very large number of militants ratcheted up tensions on Tuesday between the two nuclear-armed rivals at odds over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Islamabad said there were no casualties in the strike near the town of Balakot, close to the border with Pakistans section of Kashmir, where residents said loud explosions woke them up, rattling their homes.

It was the middle of the night, we were very scared, one resident, 20-year old Mohammad Abbas to The Associated Press. We didnt think for a moment that it was from planes but the explosions were very powerful.

Pakistans military cordoned off the area and kept reporters about a kilometer (half a mile) from the bombing site.

The airstrike was the latest escalation since a deadly suicide bombing in Indias section of Kashmir earlier this month killed more than 40 Indian soldiers. Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack but vowed to respond to any Indian military operation against it.