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Pakistan says 7 soldiers killed by Indian fire in Kashmir

This photograph taken from the Pakistan-administered Kashmir village of Battal across the Line of Control between India and Pakistan, shows an Indian army checkpost on October 2, 2016. (By AFP)

Indian cross-border fire has left seven Pakistani soldiers dead along the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed region of Kashmir.

The Pakistani military said its troops were killed in an overnight ceasefire violation by Indian troops at the LoC in the Bhimber sector in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

It added that its troops responded to the “unprovoked” Indian firing and targeted Indian posts.

An Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.

Cross-frontier shelling between the two sides has intensified in recent weeks, leading to deaths of civilians and soldiers stationed along the disputed frontier.

Tensions have been fraught since July when India-administered Kashmir was rocked by street protests after the killing of a pro-independence figure there.

Many in the Muslim majority Indian-controlled Kashmir are against New Delhi’s rule over the region.

This image shows Indian security forces deployed to Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar, July 18, 2016. (By Reuters)

New Delhi has deployed hundreds of thousands of troops to suppress dissent.

Meanwhile, India, which has been calling for a strong stance against Islamabad, blames Pakistan for fanning the unrest. Islamabad, however, has denied any role in Kashmir’s dire situation.

Since their partition in 1947, the neighboring countries have fought four wars. In 2003, the two countries agreed on a ceasefire and launched peace talks a year later.

The peace talks were suspended after 160 people lost their lives in the 2008 terrorist attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai.


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