Pakistan targets forward posts, villages along IB and LoC in J&K, no casualties reported

Jammu: Pakistani troops targeted forward posts and villages along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua and Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops, officials said on Sunday. However, there was no report of any casualty in the latest ceasefire violation which came a day after an Indian Army personnel was killed and three others, including two women, were injured in separate ceasefire violations by Pakistan in Rajouri and Poonch districts. At about 11.15 am on Sunday, Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling mortars along the LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri. The Indian Army retaliated befittingly, a defence spokesman said. In another ceasefire violation, the officials said Pakistani Rangers targeted Satpal, Manyari, Karol Krishna and Gurnam border outpost areas at around 9 pm on Saturday, drawing strong and effective retaliation from the Border Security Force (BSF). They said the cross-border firing between the two sides continued till 3:45 am on Sunday but there was no report of any casualty or damage on the Indian side. Jammu and Kashmir has recorded over 4,000 ceasefire violations by Pakistan so far this year, which is the highest in the past decade, compared to a total of 3,289 violations in 2019, officials said.