Five killed in Pak firing along LoC

At least five civilians including a woman were injured when hit by shrapnel as Pakistani troops resorted to what the officials alleged was an unprovoked mortar shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Two residential houses were extensively damaged in the shelling, the officials said.

In Muzaffarabad, the PoK authorities claimed that the shelling was initiated by the Indian troops resulting into the death of one Pakistani soldier and injuries to two civilians in the Neelam valley.

The Army and police officials said that the Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire understanding by resorting to unprovoked shelling and firing in Taad area of Tangdhar sector of Kupwara on Thursday morning. They said that the injured persons were quickly shifted to a hospital.

The officials also said that the Indian Army responded to the Pakistan shelling and firing “befittingly and strongly” and that the exchanges continued for two hours.

The troops had exchanged small arms fire along the LoC in Rajouri district of Jammu region on Wednesday too, after Kerni village of the district came under fire from across the de facto border. There were no casualties in the Pakistani firing on the Indian side, the officials said.

However, the Army sources claimed that, at least three Pakistani soldiers were killed in the Indian retaliation after the Pakistan Army resorted to heavy shelling in Keri area. They said the two sides used mortars, medium and light weapons during the intermittent firing and shelling which continued for about four hours. On Tuesday, the two armies had clashed in Balakote, Shahpur, Kirni and Qasba areas of Poonch but there was no loss of life.