2 JCOS killed in Pak sniper attack

THE CEASEFIRE VIOLATION HAPPENED FROM THE PAKISTAN SIDE OF THE LOC AROUND NOON

SRINAGAR : Two junior commissioned officers (JCOS) of the army were killed in a sniper attack from across the Line of Control (LOC) in north Kashmir on Friday, police said.

They said the ceasefire violation happened from the Pakistan side of the LOC around noon when they fired on army posts at Jumgund area of Kupwara.

“A JCO was initially killed in the sniper attack along the LOC following which there was some exchange of fire between the two sides,” said Kupwara superintendent of police Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar.

He said another JCO who was injured in the attack succumbed at a hospital later. The JCOS have been identified as Subedar Raman Thapa and Subedar Gamar Thapa. Both belonged to the army’s 2/8 GR unit.srinagarbased army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia’s mobile was switched off. On December 6, a soldier was killed when Pakistani army opened fire across the LOC in the Machil area of Kupwara, according to officials. Pakistanis used automatics and mortar shells. A civilian house was also damaged in the shelling in Kamalkote area of Uri in Baramulla district.

Neighbours India and Pakistan, who have fought at-least three wars since 1947, had agreed in 2003 to maintain peace along the border, but violations intensified after bilateral relations plummeted in 2016. The two countries often accuse each other of violations.

The spike in ceasefire violations have killed dozens and often force thousands of people living along the border to flee their villages. The border exchange of fire also affects the cross-loc trade which was started in 2008 after the leadership of India and Pakistan agreed for confidence building measures to ease out relations between the two countries often at odds over Kashmir region.

At least 109 people, including 56 security personnel, were killed in 2,855 incidents of cross-border firing and ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces along the border in Jammu and Kashmir between January 2016 and July this year, an RTI response has revealed.