Indian and Pakistan troops swap intense artillery fire amid high tensions
SRINAGAR, India — Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged heavy volleys of shells and gunfire across their frontier in Kashmir overnight, killing at least five civilians in a growing military standoff that erupted following an attack on tourists in the India-controlled portion of the disputed region.
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In Pakistan, an unusually intense night of artillery exchanges left at least four civilians dead and wounded 12 others in areas near the Line of Control that divides Kashmir, local police official Adeel Ahmad said. People in border towns said the firing continued well into Friday morning.
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'We're used to hearing exchange of fire between Pakistan and India at the Line of Control, but last night was different,' said Mohammad Shakil, who lives near the frontier in Chakothi sector.
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In India, military officials said Pakistani troops barraged their posts overnight with artillery, mortars and gunfire at multiple locations in Indian-controlled Kashmir. They said Indian soldiers responded, triggering fierce exchanges until early dawn.
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Two people were killed and four others injured in Uri and Poonch sectors, police said, taking the civilian death toll in Indian-controlled Kashmir to 18 since Wednesday. Pakistan said Indian mortar and artillery fire has killed 17 civilians in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the same period.
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Indian authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of civilians from villages near the volatile frontier. Thousands of people slept in shelters for a second consecutive night.
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Tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals have soared since an attack on a popular tourist site in India-controlled Kashmir left 26 civilians dead, mostly Hindu Indian tourists, on April 22. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for backing the attack, an accusation Islamabad rejects.
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On Wednesday, India conducted airstrikes on several sites in Pakistani territory it described as militant-related, killing 31 civilians according to Pakistani officials. Pakistan said it shot down five Indian fighter jets.
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On Thursday, India said it thwarted Pakistani drone and missile attacks at military targets in more than a dozen cities and towns, including Jammu city in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The army said no casualties were reported.
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Pakistan denied that it carried out drone attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India said meanwhile it hit Pakistan's air defence systems and radars close to the city of Lahore. The incidents could not be independently confirmed.
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The social platform did not release the list of accounts it was blocking in India, but said the order 'amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech.' Later, X briefly blocked access to the Global Affairs Account from which it had posted the statement, also citing a legal demand from India.
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