SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Two Indian soldiers have been killed in fighting with Pakistani soldiers and suspected militants along the volatile frontier in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said Saturday.

An army officer said militants overnight ambushed an Indian army patrol, killing one, while Pakistani soldiers provided covering fire near Machil sector along the Line of Control dividing the disputed region between India and Pakistan.

The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media, said that militants crossed over from the Pakistani-controlled Kashmir while taking advantage of rugged terrain and thick foliage. He said Indian soldiers retaliated and killed an insurgent in what he described as “face-to-face combat.”

He said the militants “mutilated” the body of the Indian soldier before fleeing to the Pakistani side.

There was no independent confirmation of the incident.

In a strongly worded statement, the Indian army called the soldier’s mutilation a “despicable act.”

“This barbarism is a true reflection which pervades official and non-official organizations across the border,” the statement said. “This act will invite an appropriate response.”

Shortly after, cross-border clashes erupted at several posts in Machil sector, killing another Indian soldier.

In Pakistan, the military in a statement said that India on Saturday again resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control and that the soldiers from the two countries were still exchanging fire. It did not say Pakistan suffered any casualties.

Indian and Pakistani troops in recent weeks have frequently exchanged cross-border fire, causing casualties on both sides. Both have blamed each other for initiating it.

While the Line of Control is guarded by the Indian and Pakistani armies and divides the two parts of Kashmir, each country also has a separate paramilitary border force guarding the lower-altitude frontier separating Indian-controlled Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab.

Troops from the two countries have regularly traded fire since last month, when India said it carried out “surgical strikes” against militants in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir. Pakistan dismissed the claim and called on India to produce evidence to back it up.

On Thursday, each nation expelled a diplomat amid the escalating tensions.

Two of the three wars between India and Pakistan since 1947 have been fought over their competing claims to Kashmir. Each has administered part of Kashmir since 1947. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming anti-Indian militants and helping infiltrate into the Indian side.

Pakistan denies this, saying it only offers moral and diplomatic support to the militants and to Kashmiris who oppose Indian rule.

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report. </s> All you need to know about the surgical strikes conducted by Indian Army.

The Indian Army on Wednesday night conducted surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC), confirmed Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO).

The announcement of the sudden action by the army was made on Thursday by the DGMO, 11 days after the terror strike by Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM on an Indian army camp in Uri in Kashmir on September 18, 2016. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the attackers would not go "unpunished" and that the sacrifice of 18 jawans would not be in vain.

What DGMO said at joint press conference with MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup

- India carried out 'surgical strikes' on terror launch pads across the Line of Control(LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday night, inflicting 'significant casualties' on terrorists.

- We received very credible and specific information that some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launch pads along the Line of Control with an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes in Jammu and Kashmir.

- The strikes were carried out across the LoC.

- The operations were basically focused on ensuring that the terrorists do not succeed in their design of infiltration and carrying out destruction and endangering the lives of citizens of our country.

- Indian armed forces are fully prepared for any contingency that may arise.

- Spoke to the Pakistani Director General of Military Operations and explained India's concerns and also shared with him details of the operation.

What we know of the surgical strikes conducted by the Army: Sources to ANI

- Seven terror launch pads were destroyed by the Army across LoC, Indian Army Special Forces were para-dropped.

- The surgical strikes were carried out between 12:30 am to 4:30 am.

- The location was 500 metres to two kilometres across the LoC.

- The surgical strikes were conducted on Pakistani terror camps belonging to multiple terror groups.

- There were no Indian casualties.

Two Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and nine others were injured in the exchange of fire between the two forces.

What ISPR said about the strike

There has been no surgical strike by India, instead there had been cross-border fire initiated and conducted by India which is existential phenomenon.

The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by Indian to create false effects.This quest by Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross border fire as surgical strike is fabrication of truth. Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, same will be strongly responded.

Who knew about the strike?

PM Modi informed President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Home Minister informed the Chief Ministers of Punjab, West Bengal, Odisha, CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury and Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad.

In a sharp plunge, stock market benchmark Sensex tanked by 573 points following the announcement of the surgical strikes. The Sensex plunged 572.89 points, or 2.02%, to 27,719.92, with all sectoral indices led by realty, healthcare, power and metal slumping by up to 5.05%.

On similar lines, the National Stock Exchange index Nifty dropped by 186.90 points, or 2.13%, to 8,558.25. </s> ISLAMABAD: At least two Pakistan Army soldiers were killed as Indian troops fired across the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday. The Pakistani military confirmed the deaths of its soldiers yet dismissed the Indian claim of 'surgical strikes'.

"There had been cross border fire initiated and conducted by India which is [an] existential phenomenon," said an ISPR statement released shortly after the Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) held a press conference making claims about surgical strikes.

India strikes, Pakistan responds

An exchange of fire between Pakistani and Indian LoC troops began at 2:30am and continued till 8:00am in the Bhimber, Hotspring, Kel and Lipa sectors in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the ISPR statement said.

"Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing on the LoC."

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said nine soldiers were injured during the incident, and added that small firearms were used to respond in a "befitting manner".

Shortly after the exchange of fire, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Defence held a joint press conference in New Delhi in which DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh alleged that surgical strikes were conducted by the Indian army on "terror launch pads along the LoC". The strikes will not continue, he said.

The Indian DGMO claimed that "some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launchpads along the Line of Control".

"The Indian army conducted surgical strikes last night at these launchpads. Significant casualties have been caused to these terrorists and those who are trying to support them... The operations aimed at neutralising the terrorists have since ceased."

Sources quoted by Indian media alleged that Indian para commandos went 2-3 kilometres into AJK in Mi-17 choppers and destroyed six 'terror camps', killing at least 38 suspected terrorists along with Pakistan Army troops.

Singh said the decision to launch the strikes had been taken after the military determined the launchpads had been set up with "an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes in Jammu and Kashmir and various other metros in our country."

An Indian military source said the operation was carried out on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control where there were between five and seven infiltration “launchpads”.

“It was a shallow strike. The operation began at around midnight and it was over before sunrise,” this source, who had been briefed by his superiors on the operation, said. “All our men are back. Significant casualties inflicted. Damage assessment still going on.”

A Pakistani military officer at Chhamb, near the LoC, contradicted the Indian version, saying the attack had been repelled. “They ran back, leaving many dead bodies on their side,” this senior officer said.

Read more: Modi’s new battle lines

Military rubbishes notions of surgical strike

The Pakistan military swiftly rubbished notions of a surgical strike.

"The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by Indian to create false effects," a military statement said.

"This quest by the Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross-border fire as a surgical strike is fabrication of the truth. Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, the same will be strongly responded."

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said Pakistan’s airspace would be safeguarded at any cost. "PAF is always alert and ready to issue a befitting response to foreign aggression," a spokesperson said.

Indian authorities ordered the evacuation of villages in Punjab near the Pakistan border on Thursday amid fears of retaliation from Islamabad following India’s claim of surgical strikes against “terror launchpads” across the LoC, Hindustan Times reported

'India fooling its own people'

Pakistan, rejecting ‘baseless’ Indian claims that it carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan, condemned unprovoked ceasefire violations across the LoC, Radio Pak reported.

Read more: The terror of war hysteria

Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said, "India’s falsified, concocted, and irresponsible statements can only escalate the already-fragile security situation in the region."

Zakaria added that India had deliberately escalated tension at the LoC in order to divert attention from the deteriorating situation in held-Kashmir. “India is trying to make fool of its own people and the international community,” he maintained.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident, according to Radio Pakistan. "Our intent for a peaceful neighbourhood should not be mistaken as our weakness," the premier said.

National Security Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua submitted a comprehensive report on the LoC situation to the prime minister, Radio Pakistan reported. Nawaz is also being briefed regularly on the situation along the LoC by security institutions.

Indian High Commissioner summoned

The Foreign Secretary summoned the Indian High Commissioner today and rejected the baseless Indian claim of ‘surgical strikes’.

Unprovoked firing by Indian troops across the LoC was also condemned in the meeting.

“These incidents are a continuation of a pattern of ceasefire violations committed by India”, said the Foreign Secretary.

He added that the armed forces of Pakistan will continue to give a befitting response to any act of aggression.

Soaring tensions

The latest incident of cross-border firing comes as tensions simmer between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue.

Last week, India initiated a diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan after blaming it for the Sept 18 attack on the Uri army camp in IHK which killed 18 soldiers ─ a claim which Pakistan has rejected.

Tensions between the South Asian rivals have been high since an Indian crackdown on dissent in IHK following the killing by Indian forces of Burhan Wani, a young separatist leader, in July.

On Wednesday, India pulled out of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit scheduled to be held in November in Islamabad. Several other Saarc members followed suit, leading to the postponement of the summit. </s> India said on Thursday it had conducted “surgical strikes” on suspected militants preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan-ruled Kashmir, making its first direct military response to an attack on an army base it blames on Pakistan.

Pakistan said two of its soldiers had been killed in exchanges of fire and in repulsing an Indian “raid”, but denied India had made any targeted strikes across the de facto frontier that runs through the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.

The cross-border action inflicted significant casualties, the Indian army’s head of operations told reporters in New Delhi, while a senior government official said Indian soldiers had crossed the border to target militant camps.

The announcement followed through on prime minister Narendra Modi’s warning that those India held responsible “would not go unpunished” for a September 18th attack on an Indian army base at Uri, near the Line of Control, that killed 18 soldiers.

The strikes also raised the possibility of a military escalation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan that would wreck a 2003 Kashmir ceasefire.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, the Indian army’s director general of military operations (DGMO), said the strikes were launched on Wednesday based on “very specific and credible information that some terrorist units had positioned themselves . . . with an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes”.

Lt Gen Singh said he had called his Pakistani counterpart to inform him of the operation, which had ended. India later briefed opposition parties and foreign ambassadors in New Delhi but stopped short of disclosing operational details.

“It would indicate that this was all pretty well organised,” said one diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because the briefing by foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was confidential.

Pakistan’s military spokesman slammed the Indian account as “totally baseless and completely a lie”, saying the contact between DGMOs only included communication regarding cross-border firing, which was within existing rules of engagement.

“We deny it. There is no such thing on the ground. There is just the incident of the firing last night, which we responded to,” Lt General Asim Bajwa told news channel Geo TV.

“We have fired in accordance with the rules of engagement We are acting in a responsible way.”

Pakistan said nine of its soldiers had also been wounded. Neither side’s account could be independently verified.

India’s disclosure of such strikes was unprecedented, said Ajai Sahni of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi, and sent a message not only to his own people but to the international community.

“India expects global support to launch more focused action against Pakistan,” Lt Gen Sahni told Reuters. “There was tremendous pressure on the Indian prime minister to prove that he is ready to take serious action.”

The border clash also comes at a delicate time for Pakistan, with powerful army chief of staff Gen Raheel Sharif due to retire shortly and prime minister Nawaz Sharif still to decide on a successor.

The Pakistani premier condemned what he called India’s “unprovoked and naked aggression” and called a cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss further steps.

India announced its retaliation at a news conference in New Delhi that was hurriedly called, only to be delayed, as Mr Modi chaired a meeting of his cabinet committee on security to be briefed on the operation.

“The prime minister is clear that this is exactly what we should have done,” a senior government official said on condition of anonymity. “Informing the world about the surgical strike was important today.”

US national security adviser Susan Rice spoke with her Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, before news of the Indian cross-border operation broke, the White House said.

Ms Rice discussed deepening collaboration between the United States and India on counter-terrorism and urged Pakistan to combat and delegitimise individuals and entities designated by the United Nations as terrorists.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in full, but govern separate parts, and have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over Kashmir.

Tension between the south Asian rivals has been high since an Indian crackdown on dissent in Kashmir following the killing by security forces of Burhan Wani, a young separatist leader, in July.

They rose further when New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the Uri attack, which inflicted the heaviest toll on the Indian army of any single incident in 14 years.

India has been ratcheting up pressure on Pakistan, seeking to isolate it at the UN General Assembly in New York and winning expressions of condemnation from the United States, Britain and France over the attack.

China, another of the five permanent members of the security council and a traditional ally of Pakistan, has urged dialogue between the two antagonists.

On Wednesday, officials from several countries said a November summit of a the south Asian regional group due to be held in Islamabad may be called off after India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan said they would not attend. </s> Pakistani doctors at a hospital in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir, treat a villager injured during an attack on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016.

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan — Indian troops fired on a Pakistani passenger bus in Kashmir on Wednesday, killing 10 civilians in one of the deadliest incidents in weeks of violence in the disputed Himalayan region, stoking tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called the shelling "naked aggression," and the government summoned an Indian diplomat to lodge a protest. The Pakistani army contacted its Indian counterpart over a crisis hotline, saying "we reserve the right to respond at the place and time of our choosing."

The Pakistani military said it had already fired back at Indian positions, killing seven soldiers, but there was no word on casualties from the Indian side. Indian army spokesman Col. Nitin Joshi said an intense exchange of fire was underway.

Kashmir is split between Indian and Pakistani areas of control and claimed in its entirety by both countries. The South Asian rivals fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, and it remains one of the world's most intractable conflicts.

Waheed Khan, a Pakistani police official in the region, said the Indian shelling also hit villages near the Line of Control separating the two sides, killing another two civilians and causing others to flee. At least three Pakistani soldiers were also killed, the military said, adding that Indian troops had fired on an ambulance.

The latest exchange of fire came a day after the mutilated body of an Indian soldier was found in Kashmir. The Indian military did not say whether the soldier was killed by Pakistani soldiers or Kashmiri rebels, who have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989.

"Retribution will be heavy for this cowardly act," Col. Rajesh Kalia, another Indian army spokesman, said after Tuesday's attack.

Tensions have soared in Kashmir since militants attacked an Indian army base there in September, killing at least 17 soldiers. India said the militants were supported by Pakistan, charges denied by Islamabad. The two sides have traded blame for the cross-border fire and have accused each other of violating a 2003 cease-fire in Kashmir.

Last week, the Pakistani army claimed to have shot down a small Indian drone in Kashmir, a day after the navy said it had intercepted Indian submarines entering the country's territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.

Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India, contributed. </s> New Delhi: Director General Military Operations (DGMO), Ranbir Singh salutes after the Press Conferences along with External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup, in New Delhi on Thursday. India conducted Surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Kash

The Indian Army today said it has conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan, killing several terrorists and causing significant casualties to their hideouts.

Opinion: Indian Army's surgical strikes should make Pakistan think twice before trying another Uri



"The Army has conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads on the LoC and significant casualties have been caused. The motive of this operation was to hit out at the terrorists who were planning to infiltrate into our territory," Director General of Military Operation (DGMO) Lt General Ranbir Singh said today in a joint press conference with officials from the Ministry of External Affairs.

India's elite para-commandos. (File photo) India's elite para-commandos. (File photo)

The Army said special commandos crossed the LoC last night, conducted the operation in the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and returned to the Indian side without any casualty. The Air Force was not involved in the surgical strike. The Army has claimed to have killed at least 38.

Also Read: Claims denied: How Pakistan media is treating India's surgical strike



The entire operation was monitored for the entire night by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval from the Army headquarters in New Delhi.

It was because of this operation that Parrikar and Doval had cancelled their dinner on Wednesday night with the Coast Guard commanders.

NAWAZ SHARIF REACTS



Minutes after India announced on Thursday that it carried out surgical strikes across the LoC on Wednesday night, Sharif denounced what he called was an "unprovoked and naked aggression" by Indian forces.

Radio Pakistan quoted him as saying that the Indian operation led to the death of two Pakistani soldiers.

India Today magazine listed some options for a covert operation. India Today magazine listed some options for a covert operation.

"Our intent for peaceful neighbourhood should not be mistaken as our weakness as our valiant forces are fully capable of defending the territorial integrity of our country," the Prime Minister said.

He said Pakistan can "thwart any evil design made to undermine the sovereignty of Pakistan".

Indian Twitter celebrates 'Modi's punishment for Pakistan', Pakistani Twitter fumes



READ| Nawaz Sharif calls for peace, then praises terrorist in UN speech

"I spoke to the Pakistan DGMO and shared our concerns. I told him that we conducted surgical strikes last night," Lt Gen Singh said.

The Pakistani Army has also admitted that two of its soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with Indian forces across the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir today.

Earlier today, India responded to unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan on LOC with punitive strikes. Two Pakistani soldiers have been killed in Indian firing.

India had on Tuesday announced that it was pulling out of the SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November after the September 18 cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 18 Indian soldiers.

PM Modi had said that the Uri attack would not go unavenged.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:



Also Read:

10 terrorists gunned down in Uri after Pakistan violates ceasefire again



Days after Uri attack, suspicious bag found near Army unit in Pathankot

Tension between India and Pakistan escalated since the recent attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Kashmir which left 19 soldiers dead.

Here is how Pakistan reacted to the attack by Indian Army.

Nawaz Sharif after India's surgical strike: Don't take our peaceful intent for weakness

Moments after Indian Army claimed that it has conducted surgical strikes across LoC, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the first to condemn it. He asserted that Pakistan too is ready with its 'defence'.

Radio Pakistan quoted him as saying that the Indian operation led to the death of two Pakistani soldiers.

"Our intent for peaceful neighbourhood should not be mistaken as our weakness as our valiant forces are fully capable of defending the territorial integrity of our country," the Prime Minister said.

He said Pakistan can "thwart any evil design made to undermine the sovereignty of Pakistan".

How Pakistan media is treating India's surgical strike

After the Indian Army's statement made it to the news, Pakistani media started updating their pages, showing that Pakistani army is denying the claims of Indian Army's surgical strikes.

Watch: All you need to know about the Indian Army's surgical strikes







Sushma Swaraj slammed Pakistan at UNGA

In a short but sharp rebuke to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech at the United Nations General Assembly, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that Kashmir belongs to India, and Pakistan must stop dreaming about claiming it.

"Jammu and Kashmir belongs to India, stop dreaming about claiming Kashmir," said Sushma Swaraj while addressing the UN General Assembly.

"Terrorism is the biggest violation of human rights. Those criticising India for violating human rights, should first work on their own shortcomings," Swaraj said in her speech at UNGA.

Pitching the idea of working together against terrorism Swaraj said, "We will have to keep aside obligations and differences and work together to fight terrorism. We cannot win the war on terrorism with blame game. Terror strikes across the world is a reminder of where we fall short in countering terrorism."

Uri attack: India shows evidence by identifying handlers, summons Pak envoy Abdul Basit

Earlier in the week, India summoned Pakistani High Commissioner to Delhi Abdul Basit to give him proof of the cross-border origins of the Uri attackers, who killed 19 Indian soldiers earlier this month.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar termed the continuing cross-border terror attacks from Pakistan against India as unacceptable as he presented details of the "handlers" behind the Uri army camp attack.

The attackers came from Muzaffarabad, which is the capital of the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), Swarup told Basit as he gave the details of the guides and handlers who helped the four terrorists, who were also killed in the Uri attack.

Modi calls Islamabad sole exporter of terrorism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier gave a strong message to Pakistan, blaming it for exporting terrorism across the globe and impeding economic progress in Asia.

The prime minister said, "We often hear that 21st century will be the century of Asia. Every single country is striving to make 21st century the century of Asia except one. That one country is working to deny Asia this opportunity. It is conspiring to make Asia bloodied by using terrorism."

He further said, "Only one country is exporting terrorism everywhere. It's not a question about India only. This country is exporting terrorism to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and rest of the world."

Watch- Former Army Chief Bikram Singh to India Today: Surgical strikes will force Pakistan to start behaving







Also read:



NIA registers FIR in Uri terror attack, seizes GPS and ammunition from slain terrorists

India slams Pakistan at UN after Uri attack, rakes up human rights violations in Balochistan </s> New Delhi: Pakistan requested on Wednesday that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries speak to one another, a request that was granted by India.

According to a report in NDTV, Pakistan asked for the talks after India unleashed a fierce fire assault on Wednesday across the Line of Control in retaliation for Tuesday's mutilations of Indian soldiers by Pakistan.

India had on Tuesday accused Pakistan of beheading a soldier in Kashmir and killing two others, for which it retaliated on Wednesday.

An army spokesperson said that India told the Pakistani DGMO to prevent his troops from indulging in 'nefarious acts' across the border. In turn, the Pakistani DGMO spoke about civilian casualties from Indian firing across the LoC.

Meanwhile, India summoned the Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner to strongly protest ceasefire violations, resultant deaths of Indian soldiers and barbaric mutilation of their bodies.

Separately, Pakistan has conveyed to India that its Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz will be attending the Heart of Asia (HoA) conference in Amritsar on December 3 and 4.

"We have received an official confirmation from Pakistan that Aziz would be attending the HoA conference on Afghanistan," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said today.

The conference, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, will see participation of over 40 countries.

However, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday termed as "naked aggression" the "unprovoked firing" by India across the LoC that resulted in the death of four civilians and three soldiers and said India has failed to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

He said no responsible state can permit ‘targeting innocent civilians in general and ambulances carrying the injured in particular.’

In September, after an army camp in Uri in Kashmir was attacked, leaving 19 soldiers dead, India conducted surgical strikes across the LoC, destroying several terrorist launch pads. However, Pakistan denies that the strikes ever took place, claiming that just 2 Pakistani soldiers were killed.

Tuesday's beheading of Prabhu Singh in Machil in Kupwara, about 80 kilometres from Srinagar is the second mutilation of an Indian soldier in three weeks by Pakistani troops. </s> ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan summoned India’s deputy high commissioner in Islamabad on Monday after four Pakistani soldiers were killed in shelling by Indian forces in the disputed Kashmir region, the Pakistani foreign office said.

The latest clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours comes amid heated challenges and threats of armed conflict.

A decades-old dispute over the mostly Muslim Himalayan region of Kashmir, claimed in full but ruled in part by both Pakistan and India, has heated up after a 2003 ceasefire brought more than a decade of relative peace.

“Despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations. In 2018, the Indian forces have carried out more than 100 ceasefire violations,” the foreign office said, after summoning deputy high commissioner J.P. Singh.

Pakistan’s military earlier said that troops carrying out maintenance work were fired upon by Indian forces, adding that Pakistani forces responded, killing three Indian soldiers and wounding several others.

India’s military told Reuters that Pakistani forces fired first and no casualties were recorded on the Indian side.

On another section of the so-called Line of Control dividing Kashmir between the two sides, India said its forces on Monday killed five members of a pro-Pakistan militant group trying to slip into Indian Kashmir.

A Pakistani military source, who declined to be identified, denied that any militants had been killed trying to cross from the Pakistani side to the Indian side.

India accuses Pakistan of backing Islamist militants and encouraging them to launch attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where a separatist insurgency has simmered for years, and in other parts of India.

Pakistan denies that and says India must hold negotiations on the future of Kashmir.

The neighbours have fought three wars since their independence from Britain, two of them over Kashmir.

Artillery exchanges across the LoC were common for years before the 2003 ceasefire in Kashmir largely brought an end to violence but clashes have been increasing over the past couple of years.

Relations have been particularly tense since India said it carried out cross-border surgical strikes against militants hiding in Pakistan in 2016. Pakistan said Indian forces never crossed onto its territory.

On Friday, Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat said his forces were willing to carry out operations inside Pakistan despite the risk of a nuclear conflict, the Indian daily the Hindustan Times reported.

The comment drew derision from Pakistan’s foreign minister who termed the statement “irresponsible” and an “invitation for nuclear encounter”.

Pakistan’s military has said 52 civilians were killed and 254 wounded by Indian shelling in the region last year, more than in all of the previous 14 years combined. </s> NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD, (Reuters) – India said today it had conducted “surgical strikes” on suspected militants preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan-ruled Kashmir, making its first direct military response to an attack on an army base it blames on Pakistan.

Pakistan said two of its soldiers had died in exchanges of fire and efforts to repulse Indian troops, but denied that India had made any targeted strikes across the de facto frontier that runs through the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.

The cross-border action inflicted significant casualties, the Indian army’s head of operations told reporters in New Delhi, while a senior government official said Indian soldiers had crossed the border to target militant camps.

The Indian announcement followed through on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warning that those responsible “would not go unpunished” for a Sept. 18 attack on an Indian army base at Uri, near the Line of Control, that killed 18 soldiers.

The strikes also raised the possibility of a military escalation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan that would wreck a 2003 Kashmir ceasefire.

Lt General Ranbir Singh, the Indian army’s director general of military operations, said the strikes were launched on Wednesday based on “very specific and credible information that some terrorist units had positioned themselves … with an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes”.

Singh said he had called his Pakistani counterpart to inform him of the operation.

The top spokesman for the Pakistani military slammed the Indian account of its action as “totally baseless and completely a lie”.

“We deny it. There is no such thing on the ground. There is just the incident of the firing last night, which we responded to,” Lt General Asim Bajwa told news channel Geo TV.

Pakistan said nine of its soldiers had also been wounded. Neither side’s account could be independently verified.

India’s disclosure of such strikes was unprecedented, said Ajai Sahni of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi, and sent a message not only to his own people but to the international community.

“India expects global support to launch more focused action against Pakistan,” Sahni told Reuters. “There was tremendous pressure on the Indian prime minister to prove that he is ready to take serious action.”

The border clash also comes at a delicate time for Pakistan, with powerful Army Chief of Staff General Raheel Sharif due to retire shortly and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif still to decide on a successor.

The Pakistani premier condemned what he called India’s “unprovoked and naked aggression” and called a cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss further steps.

Share markets in India and Pakistan fell on India’s announcement. India’s NSE index closed down 1.6 percent after falling as much 2.1 percent to its lowest since Aug. 29, while Pakistan’s benchmark 100-share index was down 0.15 percent.

India announced its retaliation at a news conference in New Delhi that was hurriedly called, only to be delayed, as Modi chaired a meeting of his cabinet committee on security to be briefed on the operation.

“The prime minister is clear that this is exactly what we should have done,” a senior government official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “Informing the world about the surgical strike was important today.”

U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice spoke with her Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, before news of the Indian cross-border operation broke, the White House said.

Rice discussed deepening collaboration between the United States and India on counter-terrorism and urged Pakistan to combat and delegitimise individuals and entities designated by the United Nations as terrorists.

Exchanges of fire took place in the Bhimber, Hot Spring, Kel and Lipa sectors in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and lasted about six hours, the Pakistani military said earlier.

An Indian army officer in Kashmir said there had been shelling from the Pakistani side of the border into the Nowgam district, near the Line of Control, and the exchange of fire continued during the day.

There were no casualties or damage reported on the Indian side of the frontier.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in full, but govern separate parts, and have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over Kashmir.

Tension between the South Asian rivals has been high since an Indian crackdown on dissent in Kashmir following the killing by security forces of Burhan Wani, a young separatist leader, in July.

They rose further when New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the Uri attack, which inflicted the heaviest toll on the Indian army of any single incident in 14 years.

India has been ratcheting up pressure on Pakistan, seeking to isolate it at the U.N. General Assembly in New York and winning expressions of condemnation from the United States, Britain and France over the attack.

China, another of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a traditional ally of Pakistan, has urged dialogue between the two antagonists.

On Wednesday, officials from several countries said a November summit of a the South Asian regional group due to be held in Islamabad may be called off after India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan said they would not attend.
The Indian Army claims it conducted surgical strikes on militant camps in Pakistan across the Line of Control, allegedly-killing several suspected militants. However, Pakistan rejects this claim and terms it cross-border firing that killed two of its soldiers.