New Delhi: India has hit back strongly after Pakistan continued to violate the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LOC) at several parts of Jammu and Kashmir on the night of May 9-10. According to sources in the Indian Army, several Pakistani posts, from where artillery and mortar shelling took place on Indian civilian locations across the LOC, were targeted.
On Friday, the Indian Army released visuals of a Pakistani post – apparently a gun emplacement – being destroyed by what appeared to be a Nag Anti-Tank Guided Missile or ATGM. The Border Security Force (BSF) has retaliated to firing from across the International Border (IB), sources said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan continued with its attempted drone strikes on Indian targets since Friday evening. Some of these drones were armed. It has been confirmed that three persons were injured after a drone fell on their house in Firozpur in Punjab on Friday evening.
According to a release by the Indian Army, Pakistani drones were sighted at 26 locations ranging from Baramulla in the north to Bhuj in the south, along both the IB and the LOC.
“These include suspected armed drones posing potential threats to civilian and military targets. The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Firozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala,” it has been stated.
‘Regrettably, an armed drone targeted a civilian area in Firozpur, resulting in severe injuries to members of a local family. The injured have been provided medical assistance and the area has been sanitised by security forces,” it mentions.
The release goes on to say that: “The Indian Armed Forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems. The situation is under close and constant watch, and prompt action is being taken wherever necessary.”
After evacuating hundreds of people from bordering areas to safer locations to protect them from Pakistani shelling, the Army has said: “Citizens, especially in border areas, are advised to remain indoors, limit unnecessary movement, and strictly follow safety instructions issued by local authorities. While there is no need for panic, heightened vigilance and precaution are essential.”
