Pakistan accuses Indian troops of killing 2 civilians in cross-border incident in Kashmir

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Indian troops fired without provocation across the Line of Control separating Indian and Pakistani Kashmir on Saturday, killing two civilians and injuring another, Pakistan's military said.

The Indian troops fired indiscriminately on a group of shepherds around noon killing one of them on the spot and critically wounding two others, the military said in a statement. It said one of the wounded later died at a hospital.

The Indian army said in a tweet that a team of its soldiers and police intercepted three infiltrators from the Pakistani side in the Krishna Ghati sector. It said they “engaged" the infiltrators, who were seen "falling down” near the border. The Indian army said one Indian soldier suffered a gunshot wound.

The conflicting details given by the two sides could not immediately be reconciled.

The Pakistani military said it issued a strong protest with Indian officials and said Pakistan reserves the right to respond in a manner of its choosing to protect the lives of Kashmiri people living along the Line of Control.

The scenic Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between the two nuclear armed south Asian neighbors who have fought three wars since their independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Two of the wars were fought over the Kashmir region.