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Indian, Pakistani Border Guards Trade Gunfire


A villager, named as Liyakat Ali, is transported by medical staff at a hospital in Jammu after he was injured in cross-border firing in Indian-administered Kashmir on August 28.
A villager, named as Liyakat Ali, is transported by medical staff at a hospital in Jammu after he was injured in cross-border firing in Indian-administered Kashmir on August 28.

Indian and Pakistani border guards have traded gunfire in the divided region of Kashmir, leaving nine civilians dead and another 62 wounded.

Both sides blamed each other for "unprovoked firing and shelling" on homes after midnight on August 28 near the disputed border in the Kashmir region.

The Pakistani Army said six civilians were killed and 46 others, including 22 women, were wounded after Indian attacks near the city of Sialkot.

It said the villages of Kanganpur and Bajra Gari were the worst hit by the shelling overnight.

Villages near Sialkot, an industrial city close to the working boundary in Kashmir, often come under Indian firing and mortar shelling.

A cease-fire on the border has largely held between the countries since 2003, but gunbattles and border skirmishes are fairly common.

Tension has mounted between the countries since they called off talks between their national security advisers earlier this week following a dispute over the agenda for the meeting.

Based on reporting by AP
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