India Pakistan Trade Heavy Cross-Border Fire and Shelling

By Staff, Sputnik

Continuous heavy artillery fire exchanges have been commonplace since the two countries drew on their air forces to showcase their air power in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack in February, which killed over 40 Indian soldiers.

The border patrol forces from India and Pakistan have exchanged heavy fire and shelling along the border near the Rajouri sector of the India state of Jammu and Kashmir.

As per local officials, a heavy firing of artillery was started by Pakistani forces at about 23.30 hrs local time on Monday night, which continued until Tuesday morning.

"The heavy mortar shelling and heavy machine gun firing witnessed in the entire Line of Control (LoC) from Doongi Keri to Lam in Rajouri sector. However, there are no reports of any loss of life as of now", a defense said as reported by Sputnik.

The cross-border artillery exchanges between the two nuclear neighbours have not stopped since mid-February when a terror attack executed by Pak-based Jaish-e-Mohammed killed 40 Indian soldiers at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

At least five Indian Army personnel have been killed in border firing and a counter terror operation since 18 March in the Kashmir zone. Cross-border firing reached a crescendo across Sunderbani sector in the past week.

Pakistan has reportedly deployed armed drones and Chinese missile defence systems near the Indian border in the past few days to keep a tab on movements of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army.

The IAF had conducted a non-military pre-emptive air strike against terror infrastructure in Balakot inside Pakistan on 26 February following the Pulwama attack. On the following day, Pakistan shot down an Indian fighter jet in the first air clash between the two nuclear armed nations in the last five decades.