At least 15 dead after Pakistani, Indian troops exchange fire

At least 5 clashes reported along de facto border separating nuclear-armed rivals

Residents at the scene of devastation following cross-border shelling between Pakistani and Indian forces in Tehjain village at the Line of Control in Neelum Valley of Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Friday.
Residents at the scene of devastation following cross-border shelling between Pakistani and Indian forces in Tehjain village at the Line of Control in Neelum Valley of Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Friday. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A Pakistani Kashmiri child injured during the shelling.
A Pakistani Kashmiri child injured during the shelling.

SRINAGAR/MUZAFFARABAD • At least 10 civilians and five security personnel were killed in cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan on Friday, in one of this year's deadliest days along the heavily militarised frontier separating the nuclear-armed rivals, said officials.

According to Indian officials in Srinagar, the barrage of mortars and other weapons along several parts of the Line of Control (LOC) - the de facto border - began after troops from the Indian army foiled an infiltration attempt from Pakistan in northern Kashmir.

Pakistan's military said in a statement it had responded to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing by the Indian army.

At least five separate clashes - involving shelling and gunfire - were reported along the 740km ceasefire line that has separated the rival nations for the past seven decades, officials from the two sides said.

Hundreds of villagers were moved away from the LOC in Indian-controlled territory, while Pakistani officials said dozens of homes were set ablaze by Indian shelling on their side.

The new peak in tensions came only five days after three Indian soldiers and three militants were killed in an exchange along the LOC. India is also involved in a border showdown with the Chinese army in the Himalayas.

Indian officials said six civilians, three soldiers and a border guard were killed on their side.

The Pakistan military said four civilians and one soldier were killed on the Pakistani side.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in full.

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Each has ruled part of the region since their angry separation in 1947, with New Delhi long accusing its neighbour of fuelling an insurgency, which Islamabad denies.

Kashmir has been a cause of two of their three wars since then.

Indian and Pakistani troops regularly exchange fire across the mountainous border, but the shelling on Friday was particularly intense, according to Indian officials.

Both sides also accused the other of firing at civilian areas.

"As usual, they targeted civilian populations without any remorse," said Mr Syed Shahid Qadri, a government official in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, where a woman was among the dead and 27 others were injured.

Across the border in Indian-ruled Kashmir, officials said an eight-year-old child was among those killed in the shelling that started in the morning and continued late into the evening.

Mr Mukhtar Ahmad, a resident of Uri in Indian Kashmir, said there was panic in the hillside town after loud explosions were heard from areas closer to the de facto border.

"Several families have fled the area and taken shelter in Uri town," he said.

More than 40 civilians have been killed in firing between Indian and Pakistani troops this year, according to official data, with both sides suffering similar fatalities.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on November 15, 2020, with the headline At least 15 dead after Pakistani, Indian troops exchange fire. Subscribe