The shells landed in the houses from behind the mountain. Smoke from the burnt wood rose as several houses remained abandoned.
In heavy cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops in Salamabad area of Uri two houses were fully damaged, while six others suffered partial damage. At least 9 people were injured in the village, with 1 receiving critical wounds.
In the shelling from across the Line of Control, including in Poonch areas, at least 16 people have been killed while several others have been injured so far.
Last night, shells landed in areas several miles away from the main town of Uri, which remained shut through the day. Police barred the movement of civilians towards Uri town while residents in several areas close to the LoC were evacuated.
Lal Din, 65, a Salamabad resident, said, “ We were in our house as the shells landed in our courtyards by around 2 pm. We were fast sleep and due to the pounding, we woke up. The shelling continued till morning prayers.”
After the shelling, schools in Uri were closed, and the youth said that they were terrified after the shelling. Hafizullah, 60, said that he has no recent memory of the shelling, and if there was any artillery fire the bombs would land in the river or hit the mountain areas. “ Everyone has abandoned the houses here. The only way we can get a respite is through peace along the LoC,” he said.
Naseer Ahmad a resident of Arambuia area said, “ We heard the shelling from 12:30 am to 4 am. The shells landed in the forest areas. We were lucky that we weren't hit." The sound of the mortar shells was heard in Boniyar around 20 kilometers away from main town Uri.
Residents of the border areas and those living along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have been grappling with fear after repeated exchange of small arms fire between Indian and Pakistani troops for the last over two weeks. According to Army officials, an intermittent exchange of small arms fire was earlier witnessed along both the international border and the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. A senior Army official earlier said that the exchange of fire mostly took place during the night hours in Kashmir as well as in the Jammu areas. The residents along the LoC in Poonch and Uri areas have been living on the edge, fearing that these areas could see the use of heavy artillery fire by the Pakistani troops.
Residents in several areas have cleaned the bunkers after the shelling. Apni party leader, Raja Manzoor, said that the shelling has disrupted life at the LoC, with shepherds also being disallowed from grazing in the meadow for the last 12 days.
“Vehicles and houses have been damaged in large numbers in several areas close to the LoC in Kupwara district. Due to the small arms fire, the residents in the areas that are close to the LoC have been very tense in the past few days. The areas of Karnah, Keran, Machil and Nowgam in Kupwara lack individual shelter houses and there are even limited community bunkers in the area. We have been seeking that the government should provide proper bunkers to avoid losses during mortar shelling from Pakistan,” he said.
Manzoor added that authorities should provide proper staff at the hospitals to deal with border skirmishes. “The hospitals in Kupwara, like the main Sub District Hospital (SDH) lack staff. How can we deal with this situation?” he said.
