Seven dead, 38 injured as Pakistan Army targets civilian areas along LoC in J&K

NEW DELHI: Seven persons, including a woman and two children, were killed and 38 others injured Wednesday as Pakistan Army pounded dozens of forward villages with artillery and mortar shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, officials told news agency PTI. Officials said the Indian Army is responding proportionately to ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces, which began after India conducted missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The Poonch district has been the worst affected, with seven fatalities and 25 others injured, according to reports.In addition, ten people were injured in the Uri sector of Baramulla district, while three others sustained injuries in Rajouri district, officials added.

In the early hours of Wednesday, India launched "Operation Sindoor", executing a series of precision strikes that successfully destroyed nine terrorist bases located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation was a joint effort by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and was conducted entirely from Indian soil.Key targets included the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) base in Muridke. The strikes served as a decisive response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which had claimed the lives of 26 civilians.Using advanced precision weaponry and real-time intelligence, the Army, Navy, and Air Force conducted the strikes in coordination, avoiding any engagement with Pakistani military installations.India employed a range of high-precision, long-range strike weapons during the operation, including the SCALP cruise missile, the HAMMER precision-guided bomb, and loitering munitions. Follow live blog for real-time updates