Army says has destroyed Indian posts in retaliation to cross-border shelling, killing 5

A teen-aged boy and a man were killed and at least 13 others were injured as Indian troops continued to pound civilian populations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with mortar shells on Wednesday, local officials said.

A press release from Inter-Services Public Relations Wednesday evening stated that a soldier had also been martyred in the assault, while two were critically injured.

"Pakistan Army aggressively responded on Indian posts," read the release. "Response destroyed Indian posts firing on Pakistani posts/civilians. Five Indian soldiers killed, many injured. Indian guns silent due to effective engagement."

"Unprovoked cease fire violations shall always be responded strongly, aggressive and effectively by Pakistan Army," the director general of the Army's media wing was quoted as saying.

According to Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Rashid Naeem Khan, Wednesday had been the worst day for the Nakyal sector of Kotli district in terms of casualties.

He said one person was killed and at least 10 others wounded in indiscriminate Indian shelling in Nakyal, while one person was killed and two others injured in Nezapir sector of Haveli district. The Samahni sector of southernmost Bhimber district remained relatively calm, as only one person was injured there.

A 42-year old man, Ilyas Khan, was killed after a mortar shell hit his house in the Dharoti Balakot village. The injured included Mohammad Iqbal, Kashif, Afzal, Mehboob, Haseeb, Mohammad Bashir, Ambreen Kosar, Umair Mughal, Mohammad Afzal, and Raqeeb Hussain, the DIG told Dawn.

“Reports pouring in from affected areas suggest that Indian troops are ruthlessly targeting civilian populations, causing considerable material losses as well,” DIG Khan said.

Haji Azad, a journalist based in Nakyal, told Dawn that the constant shelling was causing huge losses.

“It is the heaviest shelling [so far] … they [Indian troops] have caused utter destruction,” he said.

A local police official said that police were unable to gather exact details of the losses due to constant shelling.

“We have poor telecommunication service in areas along the LoC, which is why details about losses reach us quite late,” he said.

Indian troops also shelled Nezapir sector of Haveli district in Poonch division on Wednesday, leaving three young boys — Sajad, 14, Waseem, 13, and Rafaqat, 16 — wounded in Nallah dhok (high altitude grassland) near Kairni village, DIG Poonch Sajjad Hussain told.

The victims were evacuated to the military dressing station in Kahuta with great difficulty, where Sajad succumbed to his wounds, he said.

The heavily militarised LoC has been tense for quite some time and military and civilians are frequently being targeted.