Pak troops pound Indian posts with RPG, mortar bomb; 3 injured

Jammu, Aug 5: In two cases of ceasefire violation, Pakistani troops pounded Indian forward posts and hamlets in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district with rocket projectile grenades, mortar bombs and medium machine guns, injuring three persons including a woman.

While the first ceasefire violation took place at 01:25 hours in which the woman was injured and hospitalised, Pakistani troops resorted to one of the heaviest firings along the Line of Control this afternoon injuring two others.

"Pakistani troops in one of the heaviest firings used rocket projectile grenades (RPGs), mortar shells and medium machine guns in the firing along the LoC in Sabzian sector of Poonch district around 14:30 hours," a defence spokesman said.

In the firing, two civilians -- Mohmmad Ashraf of Gagrian village and Abdul Ahad -- were injured. Army troops guarding the border retaliated resulting in heavy exchange which went on till last reports came in from the area, he said.

In the earlier incident, "Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire and resorted to unprovoked firing of small arms and mortar shells on forward areas along the Line of Control in Sabzian sector of Poonch from 01:25 hours today," the defence spokesman said.

They fired 81 mm mortars and other automatic weapons on forward posts and hamlets, prompting Army troops guarding the border to fire back resulting in exchange which ended around 03:00 hours.

In the firing, one woman, Naseema, was injured and shifted to hospital. With today's ceasefire violations, there have been 12 such incidents in the first five days of August.

A youth was killed and two others were injured, including a BSF jawan, when Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by resorting to firing and mortar shelling on border out posts and hamlets along the IB in 4 sectors of Kanachak, Pargwal, Tawi and R S Pura in Jammu district yesterday.

The fire had started 05:40 hours and continued intermittently till 1430 hours, a BSF spokesman said, adding that Pakistani Rangers used long range weapons and medium machine guns and targeted about 17 BSF Posts and other Border Villages.

Pakistani Rangers also violated the ceasefire by resorting to small arms firing and mortar shelling on 3 BoPs along the IB in Akhnoor sector in Jammu district yesterday.

On August 2 and 3, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire four times by resorting to small arms firing in forward posts along LoC in Krishnagati, Mandi, Balakote and Pallanwala sectors of Poonch and Jammu districts.

There were two ceasefire violations on August one. Pakistani Rangers had resorted to firing of mortar bombs on border out posts along the International Border in R S Pura sector in Jammu district on Saturday night.

There have been 18 ceasefire violations along the Indo-Pak border in July in which four persons, including three jawans, were killed and 14 others injured.

PTI