Pakistani troops target Mankote sector of Poonch

Pakistani troops today again violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting retaliation by Indian forces, officials said.
The firing from across the border in Mankote sector began around 5 pm and was continuing intermittently from both sides, a police spokesperson said.
Pakistani troops targeted forward posts and villages in Dabraj, Balnoi and Narh villages of Mankote with small and heavy weapons, he said.
There was no report of any casualty in the Pakistani firing, he added.
The spokesman said Pakistani troops had also resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling for 15 minutes in the Krishna Ghati sector of the Poonch district last evening.

Besides Krishna Ghati sector, Pakistani troops had pounded half a dozen villages in the Naushera sector of nearby Rajouri district yesterday, he said.

Fourteen persons, including eight civilians, were killed and over 70 injured in intense shelling by Pakistan along the international border (IB) in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts and the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts from January 18 to 22.
While there was no ceasefire violations by Pakistan reported along the IB since January 22, intermittent shelling is going on along the LoC, an official said.
Over 300 schools along the LoC and IB remained closed as a precautionary measure in view of the Pakistani firing.