India and Pakistan have been exchanging fire on the Kashmir border for the fourth day.
Kyiv • UNN
India Responds to Shelling from Pakistan, Intensifying Search for Militants After Terrorist Attack. Both Countries Terminate Agreements Amid Escalating Tensions.
On Monday, India said it was responding for the fourth night in a row to "unprovoked" shelling from Pakistan along the de facto border. India is also stepping up its search for militants in the region after a terrorist attack on tourists in Kashmir last week, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Details
Following the April 22 attack that killed 26 people, India identified two of the three suspected militants as Pakistanis, although Islamabad denies involvement and is calling for a neutral investigation.
Security officials and survivors said militants separated the men in a meadow in the Pahalgam area, asked their names and selected Hindus before shooting them at close range.
The attack sparked outrage and grief in India, where the majority of the population is Hindu, as well as calls for action against Islamic Pakistan, which New Delhi accuses of funding and encouraging terrorism in Kashmir. Both countries claim the region and have fought two wars over it.
The nuclear powers have taken a number of measures against each other: India has suspended the critical Indus Waters Treaty, and Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian airlines.
The Indian Army said it responded to "unprovoked" small arms fire from numerous Pakistani army posts around midnight on Sunday along the 740-kilometer de facto border separating Indian and Pakistani areas of Kashmir. The report did not provide any details or report any casualties.
The Pakistani military did not respond to a request for comment. In a separate statement, the Pakistani military said it had killed 54 Islamist militants in the past two days who were trying to enter the country from the Afghan border in the west.
Following the attack, Indian defense forces conducted a series of military exercises across the country. According to a defense official, some of them are routine exercises to increase readiness.
Security forces have detained about 500 people for questioning after searching nearly 1,000 homes and forests in Indian Kashmir for militants, a local police official told Reuters on Monday. According to the official, at least nine houses have been destroyed so far.
Political leaders in the state have called for caution to ensure that innocents do not suffer during the government's counter-terrorism efforts after the deadliest incident of its kind in India in nearly two decades.
The time has come... to avoid any inappropriate actions that alienate people. Punish the guilty, show them no mercy, but do not allow innocent people to become collateral victims.
The Kashmir Resistance Group, also known as the Resistance Front, said in a post on X that it "unequivocally" denies involvement in last week's attack, after an initial report blamed it.
Addition
Shots were fired on the Indian-Pakistani border amid escalating tensions following a terrorist attack in Kashmir. Both countries are breaking agreements and imposing restrictions.