3 soldiers, 12 civilians killed in Indian firing across LoC

muzaffarabad —Artillery fire and shelling from India targeted several villages and struck a passenger bus near the dividing line in the disputed region of Kashmir on Wednesday, killing 12 civilians wounding more than a dozen others, the Pakistani military and officials said.

Hours later, Pakistan’s military said three soldiers, including an army captain, were killed while responding to the Indian attack. It said seven Indian soldiers were also “killed in retaliatory fire” but there was no confirmation on the casualties from India.

According to Deputy Commissioner Waheed Khan, an artillery shell hit a passenger bus in the scenic Neelum Valley in Azad Kashmir, killing 10 people — three died on the scene and seven later, at a hospital. Another two civilians died when a mortar shell hit their house in the Nakyal sector in Kotli district, said police official Waseem Khan. The shelling sent residents fleeing in panic, he said. At least 15 people were also wounded in the bus strike and elsewhere in Wednesday’s attacks.

Sardar Masood Khan, the president of Azad Kashmir, denounced India’s aggression in a statement and appealed to the international community to take notice of India’s cease-fire violations in Kashmir.

Earlier, an army statement said Pakistani troops were firing back on Indian military positions. The statement also said that an ambulance, which had rushed the scene of the attack, was fired upon by India.

Pakistani security officials said Wednesday’s fire forced Pakistani villagers with their families to take to field bunkers. —