SRINAGAR: Two army officers were killed in cross-border firing from the Pakistani side along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Keran sector of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Friday, said an army officer.
The officer said Pakistani troops breached the border ceasefire in Jumgund area around 12 in the afternoon.
He said they fired indiscriminately on army positions and posts in the sector with small arms and automatic weapons.
The officer said the Indian side returned fire with similar calibre weapons and targeted the Pakistani army’s posts.“Heavy damage was caused to Pakistani troops in the retaliatory firing,” he said.
The official said two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) sustained critical injuries during the firing.
They were evacuated to the Army hospital Drugmulla in Kupwara for specialised treatment.
One of the critically injured JCOs, identified as Gamar Thapa succumbed to his injuries at Drugmulla hospital while the other JCO, Raman Thapa, was referred to the Army’s 92 base hospital in Srinagar, where he also succumbed to his wounds.
Friday’s firing is the second ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops this month. Earlier, on December 6, a soldier was killed in firing in Machil sector of Kupwara.
The army men and officers deployed along the LoC are on heightened alert.