MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan // Twelve civilians were killed and 15 more wounded on Wednesday when artillery fire and shelling from India struck several villages and a passenger bus in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, the Pakistani military and officials said.
Hours later, the military said three soldiers, including an army captain, were killed while responding to the Indian attack. It said seven Indian soldiers were also “killed in retaliatory fire” but there was no confirmation of the casualties from India.
The deadly violence marks the latest escalation in the Kashmir, which is divided between Pakistan and India and claimed by both countries in its entirety.
Ten civilians were killed when an artillery shell hit a passenger bus in the scenic Neelum Valley, according to deputy commissioner Waheed Khan. Three died on the scene and seven later in hospital.
Another two civilians were killed when a mortar shell hit their house in the Nakyal sector, said police official Waseem Khan. The shelling sent residents fleeing in panic, he said.
At least 15 others were wounded in the bus strike and elsewhere.
Sardar Masood Khan, the president of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, denounced “India’s aggression” and appealed to the international community to take notice of New Delhi’s ceasefire violations in Kashmir.
In India, army spokesman colonel Nitin Joshi said an intense exchange of fire was underway between the two sides.
Wednesday’s fire came a day after Indian army spokesman colonel Rajesh Kalia said attackers had mutilated the body of a soldier in the Machil sector of India-controlled Kashmir. He did not specify if the attack was carried out by Pakistani soldiers or rebels against Indian rule in the region.
* Associated Press
