Kashmir border gunfire kills 9 civilians

ISLAMABAD — Indian and Pakistani border guards traded gunfire in the divided region of Kashmir, leaving nine civilians dead and another 63 wounded, authorities said Friday.

Each side blamed the other for “unprovoked firing and shelling” on homes after midnight near the disputed border.

A statement issued by the Pakistani army said six civilians were killed and 47 others, including 22 women and 11 children, 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.

Pakistani television footage showed damaged houses in Kanganpur.

Dharmendra Parikh, a top Indian Border Security Force official, said three Indian civilians were killed and 16 wounded after about a dozen border guard posts and some villages came under fire starting around midnight.

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