Indo-Pak LoC fights: 9 soldiers and 2 civilians killed in July

Nine soldiers among 11 people were killed while 16 others injured in the incidents of cross-border firing this month by Pakistan along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Amid one of the worst fatalities in recent times, the month also saw over 110 livestock falling prey to incidents of shelling and firing by Pakistani army in which nearly 35 structures, including over two dozen houses were damaged along the LoC in Rajouri district alone.

In the wake of repeated firing and shelling by Pakistan, over 4,000 people from borders areas had to be shifted to safer places in the district.

"The month has seen greater ceasefire violations along LoC in the state. The aim was to engineer infiltrations and push in more and more militants in J&K," said a senior Army officer adding that Indian forces too aptly retaliated to the shellings by Pakistani army.

The security agencies attribute the increased shelling and firing by Pakistani army to their support to the Pak-based terror group Jamaat-ud-Dawa's "Year of Kashmir" campaign to make the LoC "more active to highlight the Kashmir issue."

Known as Lashkar-e-Taiba earlier, JuD has now named itself Tehreek Azadi Jammu and Kashmir (TAJK).

On July 21, 28-year-old rifleman Jayadrath Singh was killed when Pakistan army resorted to firing at Indian Army posts in Sunderbandi sector of Rajouri district. Singh belonged to village Bhagwanpur of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. He is survived by his wife Mamta Devi.

A juniour commissioned officer, Subedar Shashi Kumar, who was grievously injured in an unprovoked ceasefire breach by Pakistan in Naushera on July 18, died at Udhampur Command Hospital on July 19.

Subedar Kumar was a native of Galon village of Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh. He is survived by his wife Santosh Sharma and children.

The July 18 ceasefire violations by Pakistan also saw two Army jawans, Sepoy Jaspreet Singh, 24 and Rifleman Bimal Sinjali, 21 killed in Naushera and Nowgam sectors of Rajouri and Kupwara districts respectively. On July 18, Pakistani troops also targeted school children, shelling their schools and trapping 217 of them in 3 schools in Kadali and Seha areas of Rajouri near the LoC for 6 hours.

Earlier on July 17, one Army jawan and a girl were killed when the Pakistan army violated ceasefire twice in two sectors and resorted to firing at Indian Army posts and civilian areas in Rajouri and Poonch districts. The victims were identified as 37-year-old Naik Muddasar Ahmed of militancy-infested Tral belt of South Kashmir and 9- year-old girl Sajada.

On July 15, another jawan, Lance Naik Mohmmad Naseer, 35 was killed and yet another injured in Pak shelling along the LoC in Rajouri district.

Two other jawans, Lance Naik Ranjit Singh and Rifleman Satesh Bhagat, both of Jammu, were killed along LoC on July 12, in Pakistani firing in Keran sector of North Kashmir sector. Four days earlier on July 8, jawan Mohmmad Showkat, who was on leave, was killed along with his wife, when his house was hit by a Pakistani army's mortar shell in Poonch sector.