Children, soldier among 13 dead as Pak shelling hits J&K border villages

Poonch worst hit; people evacuated

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At least 13 people, including four children and a soldier, were killed and 57 others injured in intense cross-border shelling by Pakistani forces targeting forward villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, officials reported on Wednesday. The attack came in the wake of Indian missile strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The shelling, one of the most severe in years, caused widespread panic across border areas, particularly in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu region and Baramulla and Kupwara in north Kashmir. Civilian homes, vehicles, and public buildings bore the brunt of the bombardment, with several structures reduced to rubble. A Gurdwara in Poonch town was also hit, leading to the deaths of three Sikh residents.

According to officials, the Indian Army retaliated strongly, destroying several Pakistani posts that were firing across the border.

Casualties were reported on the Pakistani side as a result of the response. The violence marks the first major ceasefire breach since the two countries reaffirmed their ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021.