28 February 2018•Update: 01 March 2018
By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
Two Pakistani army soldiers were killed in a clash with Indian border forces along the disputed Kashmir border on Wednesday, according to Pakistani army.
In a statement, Pakistani army’s media wing, the Inter Services Public Relations, said Indian border forces "initiated unprovoked” firing at the Bhimber sector of the Line of Control -- an imaginary border that divides the disputed Himalayan valley between the two nuclear rivals, which resulted in casualties.
Pakistani army responded to the firing, which resulted in “substantial” damage to the Indian posts, the statement added without offering further details.
The two longtime rivals have been engaged in a string of border clashes since September 2016 following a brazen militant attack on an army camp in Indian-held part of Kashmir, which killed 19 Indian soldiers.
New Delhi blamed Pakistani intelligence agencies for orchestrating the attack, a charge denied by Islamabad.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.
Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu-Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.
Thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989. India maintains more than half-a-million troops in the disputed region.
