India has accused Pakistan of violating a cease-fire along their militarized border in Kashmir, saying Pakistani troops targeted Indian positions with arms and mortar fire.
Indian officials said Indian troops retaliated and that the two sides battled for at least two hours. They said no one was wounded in the pre-dawn skirmish Thursday in southern Kashmir's Poonch district.
The Associated Press quotes a Pakistani army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas as denying the Indian allegations. He said Indian troops were the first to open fire.
The incident comes amid continuing unrest in Indian Kashmir. Three people were wounded Thursday during clashes in Srinagar between Indian security forces and anti-India protesters.
The protests followed the death of an 8-year-old boy who was wounded last week when security forces opened fire during an earlier demonstration against Indian rule.
Nearly 60 people have been killed in Indian Kashmir during protests over the past two months.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir – the Himalayan region divided between predominantly Hindu India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Muslim separatists favor independence from India or a merger with Pakistan.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
