Three soldiers were killed and five others were injured as the Pakistan Army resorted to “unprovoked ceasefire violations” along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Kupwara and Poonch districts in the past 24 hours.
A Srinagar-based Defence spokesperson said the Pakistan Army initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LoC in Naugam Sector, Kupwara, on Thursday morning.
“The Pakistan Army resorted to firing mortars and other weapons. Two soldiers sustained fatal injuries,” the spokesperson said.
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He said four injured soldiers had been evacuated to a hospital and were being treated.
“A befitting response is being given,” the Army said.
On Thursday afternoon, ceasefire violations by Pakistan spread to other parts of north Kashmir.
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“Pakistan also initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LoC in Keran and Machil sectors, Kupwara, in the afternoon. Pakistan fired from artillery guns, mortars and other weapons,” the Army spokesperson said.
In a separate incident that took place in the Pir Panjal Valley’s Poonch district on Wednesday night, the Pakistan Army resorted to “firing and shelling”, which left one soldier dead and another injured.
An official said Pakistan opened fire “both from small arms as well as mortars” on Wednesday night in the Krishna Ghati Sector in Poonch.
Officials identified the deceased soldier as sepoy Karnail Singh. Another soldier, rifleman Virender Singh, was shifted to a hospital and is being treated.
The latest ceasefire violations have come as a major escalation between the two countries in J&K, after months of frequent but minor incidents of ceasefire violations.
According to data from the Ministry of Home Affairs, J&K till July 2020 witnessed 2,952 ceasefire violations from the Pakistani side, which left 15 civilians and eight security forces personnel dead.