Pakistan Shelling Kills 13, Including Soldier In Jammu and Kashmir

In a sharp escalation of hostilities, the Pakistan Army launched one of the most intense artillery and mortar barrages in years across the Line of Control (LoC), killing 13 people, including four children and an Indian soldier, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar Sharma of Haryana. The cross-border shelling, which began on the night of May 7–8, marked the 14th consecutive day of ceasefire violations and targeted forward villages in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the Indian Army, Pakistani forces resorted to unprovoked firing using small arms and artillery guns in sectors opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, and Akhnoor. The Indian side responded proportionately, the Army said in a statement. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini confirmed the soldier’s death on social media, calling him a martyr.

This latest round of violence follows India’s pre-dawn missile strikes on May 7 under “Operation Sindoor,” launched in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. Indian armed forces conducted 24 precision strikes on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), targeting strongholds of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Villages along the LoC have come under relentless fire since the operation, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate to safer areas. The Poonch sector, in particular, has witnessed heavy civilian casualties and destruction.

As tensions continue to rise between the nuclear-armed neighbors, the international community has begun voicing concern over the risk of a wider regional conflict. In response to the escalating violence, authorities have ordered that all educational institutions in five border districts of Jammu region remain closed for the second day on Thursday.