Tauseef Mustafa—AFP
Pakistani security officials say 10-year-old girl died after shrapnel from an Indian mortar hit her house in Battal.
A Pakistani girl was killed Wednesday after Indian troops opened fire across the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two neighboring countries, officials said.
The incident took place in Rawalkot district, near the Line of Control separating the India- and Pakistan-administered sectors of the Himalayan territory.
“Indian troops resorted to small arms and artillery fire in Battal area killing a 10-year-old girl and wounding her mother,” according to a senior security official. He said Pakistani troops returned fire. Senior local official Sohail Azam, confirming the casualties, said sporadic exchanges were ongoing. Azam said that the girl died after shrapnel from a mortar fired by Indian troops hit her house in Battal area.
Local resident Imtiaz Ahmad said that he and other members of his family were confined to their house because of Indian firing.
On Tuesday, Indian troops opened fire on a small village in Kotli town along the Line of Control, injuring a 65-year-old woman.
India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire along the Line of Control in November 2003, but there have been sporadic clashes over the years with both sides accusing each other of violating the deal.