India, Pakistan border guards commerce fireplace alongside frontier in Kashmir; one killed

SRINAGAR, India — Indian and Pakistani troopers exchanged gunfire and shelling alongside their extremely militarized frontier in disputed Kashmir, killing an Indian border guard, officers mentioned Thursday.

Authorities within the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir mentioned Pakistani troopers fired mortars and machine weapons at border posts within the southern Jammu space on Wednesday night time, calling it “unprovoked.”

India’s Border Safety Pressure mentioned in an announcement that its troopers “befittingly responded” and that one among its border guards was killed.

The preventing ended early Thursday.

There was no fast remark from Pakistan. Both sides usually accuses the opposite of beginning border skirmishes within the Himalayan area, which each declare in its entirety.

Final month, two Indian border guards and three civilians have been injured in preventing alongside the fronter with Pakistan.

India and Pakistan have a protracted historical past of bitter relations over Kashmir. They’ve fought two of their three wars since 1947 over their competing claims to the area. Within the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, militants have fought in opposition to Indian rule since 1989. In 2003, the 2 nations agreed on a cease-fire that has largely held regardless of common skirmishes.

The nuclear-armed nations’ contended frontier features a 740-kilometer (460-mile) rugged and mountainous stretch known as the Line of Management that’s guarded by their armies.

Each nations even have separate paramilitary border forces guarding their considerably outlined, lower-altitude 200-kilometer (125-mile) boundary separating Indian-controlled Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab.

In 2021, the 2 nations reaffirmed their 2003 cease-fire accord after months of near-daily preventing that killed scores on either side in Kashmir.