Tensions escalated in Kashmir Saturday as a soldier and three civilians were killed in cross-border firing by the Indian and Pakistani armies, officials from the two countries said. The latest wave of violence this week has left at least 21 dead, including soldiers, suspected militants and civilians on both sides of the heavily-militarised border that divides the disputed Himalayan region.
Indian Army spokesman Colonel N.N. Joshi claimed one of their soldiers was killed Saturday by Pakistani fire in Poonch sector along the de facto border, the Line of Control (LoC). Both sides regularly trade fire along the border, parts of which are disputed, and civilian casualties are common.But this week has been particularly bloody. Pakistan said four of its soldiers were martyred in Indian firing on Monday.