Indian soldier killed in Kashmir

An Indian soldier has been killed in a shooting along the de facto border which divides the disputed region of Kashmir.

Indian officials say the attack was carried out on Monday, when Indian troops were patrolling in the Uri region near the Line of Control, the militarized cease-fire line with Pakistan.

The shooting follows a recent escalation in border fighting between India and Pakistan.

On October 25, a dozen people were injured after Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire along the de facto border.

On October 23, Indian Border Security Force spokesman, Vinod Yadav, accused Pakistani forces of firing mortars on at least 50 Indian border posts, accusing Islamabad forces of unprovoked firing.

Tensions have been high since early August after at least five Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush near the border. New Delhi has accused Pakistan’s army of being involved in an overnight ambush that killed five Indian soldiers on August 6.

The latest attack has been described as the most serious violation of the 2003 cease-fire between the two neighbors in the past decade. The border clashes also threaten to torpedo recent overtures by the two countries to resume bilateral peace talks, which have been frozen since January.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but is claimed in full by both parties. The two countries have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947 – two of them over Kashmir.