Two soldiers killed in ceasefire violation in Kashmir

Two soldiers were reportedly killed in a major ceasefire violation in North Kashmir on Monday afternoon.

"In a major ceasefire violation today, Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing in Gurez sector along the LoC in J&K. Two soldiers have been killed in the firing. A befitting retaliation was carried out by the army," said a Srinagar-based spokesman.

Reports from north Kashmir's Gurez Sector in Bandipora district, around 180 km away from Srinagar, suggest that Pakistan troops first fired around 2pm and the violations continued till 4pm.

Initial reports suggest that the two soldiers were either hit by a mortar or rocket fired at the army installation in Tarbal Bagtore area near the Line of Control, which divides several mountain ranges in the areas.

When contacted by The Hindu, the army's Northern Commander refused to divulge details about the incident immediately. "We are collecting the details," said an army spokesman.

Gurez has been relatively calm since the Kargil War in 1999. However, two infiltrating militants were killed on September 18 this year.

In 2011, at least 12 militants were killed when they were trying to enter Kashmir in the same area where the violation was reported on Monday afternoon.