Army personnel killed in LoC firing by Pakistan

BSF soldiers patrol near Line of Control (LOC) at Sabjiyan sector of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir .

The year 2018 witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations — 2,936 — by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border

An Army personnel was killed on March 24 in firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said.

They said the cross-border firing started in Shahpur and Kerni areas of Poonch around 5.30 p.m. on March 23 and it continued intermittently through the night.

The Indian Army retaliated strongly but the casualties suffered by Pakistan were not known immediately, the officials said, adding Pakistani troops used mortar and small arms to target forward posts and villages.

The soldier was critically injured around 4 a.m. in the firing and was immediately taken to the military hospital, the officials said. They said he succumbed to injuries, taking the number of Army personnel killed in the last four days to two.

The year 2018 witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations — 2,936 — by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border.

Pakistan continues to violate the 2003 ceasefire agreement with India despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the pact during flag meetings between the two sides.