Indian, Pakistan border guards trade fire in Kashmir

The border guards of India and Pakistan posted on border near Kashmir exchanged heavy fire and mortars at different locations, officials said Saturday. The cease-fire violation was reported along frontier villages of Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts, close to border. Indian border guards of Border Security Force (BSF) said Pakistani Rangers posted opposite to them resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling. Officials said two BSF men were wounded in the exchange. "The Pakistani Rangers posted at the border outposts began targeting our posts at around 7:30 p.m. local time on Friday and the firing continued until 4:30 a.m. on Saturday,"Rajwant Singh, a BSF officer told media. The BSF officials also claimed foiling an infiltration bid in Samba district and said an intruder was killed. "There was movement of suspected persons along the International Border in Kulian-Suchetpur Border outposts in Samba district. When the alert BSF personnel challenged them, they came under heavy fire and during the exchange an intruder was killed," said Singh. On Thursday, five people including three children were wounded after a shell fired by Pakistani Rangers landed in premises of a residential house. According to India's official broadcaster -- All India Radio ( AIR), firing was reported along Nikowal border belt, Pura, Pargwal, Samba, Hiranagar and Jagnockah border belts in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts. Reports said skirmishes took place at 25 places along the border. The firing between border guards of the two countries has terrified villagers living close to border. Indian Home Minister Shushil Kumar Shinde is visiting the restive region on Tuesday. He is likely to review security situation along border and line-of-control (LoC) in wake of growing cease-fire violations. The Chief Minister of Indian-controlled Kashmir Omar Abdullah said Friday that New Delhi should strongly take up repeated cease- fire violations on line-of-control (LoC) with Islamabad as according to him it was getting "more serious." Skirmishes between troops posted on LoC have been going on almost at daily basis since Aug. 6. Both sides have suffered troop as well as civilian casualties during the standoff on the 720-km- long LoC. New Delhi and Islamabad blame each other of resorting to unprovoked firing. Last month the prime ministers of two nuclear neighbors during their meeting on the sidelines of UN general assembly agreed to reduce tension along LoC in Kashmir as the first step towards comprehensive peace in the region.