5 Killed, 25 Injured As Pakistani Troops Target Civilians Near Border

mangaloretoday.com/ NDTV

Arnia, J.K, Oct 6:  Five people were killed and 25 injured in firing from Pakistan at the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir after midnight on Sunday, in the worst attack on civilian areas in recent years.

Two women and a 13-year-old girl were among those killed when Pakistan Rangers started firing at posts of the Border Security Force and villages in the Arnia sector of Jammu at around 1.30 am. Heavy mortar shelling was also reported. Two members of one family have been killed.

 

Intermittent firing continues at Arnia and RS Pura sectors. The Indian Army says this is one of the most severe violations of the 2003 ceasefire between the two countries.

A man who lives near the border said, "Firing is still on at our village. People are scared. We don’t know where to go."

The injured have been shifted to the government medical college in Jammu.

"Pakistan Rangers resorted to indiscriminate firing on Indian positions in Arnia sub-sector of international border during the night," said a senior police officer.

"There was mortar shelling and they fired automatic weapons. Emergency relief teams have been rushed to the area," the officer added.

Shelling from across the border was so heavy that some mortar shells reportedly fell inside a bus stand that is more than four km from the international border.

There was also an infiltration attempt this morning. Three terrorists were killed while trying to cross over at the Tangdhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir, the army said.

The attacks come days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington, during which India and the US signed a joint declaration on fighting terror in the region.