Diplomat Correspondent
Kupwara/Baramulla, (DD)In a major escalation along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistani forces carried out intense shelling through the night across multiple sectors in Jammu and Kashmir, causing widespread damage and civilian casualties. The most affected areas include Tangdhar and Karnah in Kupwara district and the border belt of Uri in Baramulla district.
Officials confirmed that over 50 residential houses were damaged in the Tangdhar sector, where mortars and artillery shells rained down on civilian areas from 8:30 p.m. till 5:00 a.m. Villages such as Amrui, Paraha, Chatkadi, Panjtara, Tada, Sadpora, Dahni, Hajitara, Copara, Charkunji, and Muqam Chanipura bore the brunt of the shelling. One civilian, identified as Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh, sustained injuries and was evacuated for treatment. A government primary school in Paraha and a mosque in Dahni were also partially damaged, and crop losses were reported from rice fields in Muqam Chanipura.
In Uri sector, more than two dozen homes were severely damaged in Kamalkote, Hajipeer, and Rampore villages. The shelling led to the deaths of at least six individuals, including four civilians and two security personnel. A critically injured civilian, Riyaz Ahmad, was airlifted to a Srinagar hospital. Panic spread rapidly across the area, forcing families to flee their homes and take shelter in temporary relief camps set up by the administration.
In Karnah, a 60-year-old man, Saleem-ud-din, was killed in his home in Tadd village after a shell struck his residence. The shelling in this area began in the morning and resumed by evening, targeting civilian habitations intermittently throughout the day.
Local officials, along with police and Army personnel, have launched damage assessments and relief efforts. District administrations in Baramulla and Kupwara have assured compensation and immediate rehabilitation for the affected families.
This fresh flare-up has sparked concern over renewed tensions along the LoC, even as calls for restraint and dialogue grow louder from political leaders and civil society. (DD)
