This story is from October 7, 2014

Pakistan deliberately targeted civilian areas, BSF says

"This is a deliberate act by Pakistan. They are targeting civilians specifically. The targeted village is way behind any outpost," a BSF official said.
Pakistan deliberately targeted civilian areas, BSF says
NEW DELHI: The death of five civilians in Arnia, of RS Pura sector in Jammu on Monday due to "unprovoked" firing from Pakistan was a result of Pakistan Rangers "deliberately" targeting civilian areas and not a case of innocents caught in the crossfire.
Sources in Border Security Force (BSF) said that the village where Pakistan shelling has led to five deaths including that of a 15-year-old girl apart from injuries to over 30 people is way beyond any BSF outpost which is generally the target of Rangers' firing.
"Usually villages near border outposts get hit by shells or bullets that overshoot the target. Here the village is four kilometers away from the border," said a BSF officer.
BSF IG (Jammu) Rakesh Sharma told TOI, "This is a deliberate act by Pakistan. They are targeting civilians specifically. The targeted village is way behind any outpost. They are firing 81 mm mortar shells. While our posts are also under heavy fire, we are evacuating villagers to safer places." Close to 10,000 villagers are being moved to safer places in anticipation of more attacks, said sources.
The mortar shells that led to civilian deaths and injuries had fallen inside the Arnia bus stand, which is more than four km away from the international border.
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(Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah during cremation of victims of the firing by Pakistan Rangers. Photo: PTI)
Meanwhile, Indian forces have been retaliating heavily. Reports from Pakistan claim that four civilians have been killed due to Indian firing near Sialkot on the international boundary. However, neither side has reported any casualties among their security forces.

( A villager shows mortar shells allegedly fired from the Pakistan side in Chanana village: Photo: PTI)

The killing of nine people in cross-border firing in the span of 24 hours is one of the highest civilian death tolls in recent years, said sources.
The border has erupted barely after a month of guns falling silent on both sides. August saw one of the heaviest exchanges of fire from both sides in recent history. In the firing that continued till about a fortnight, as many as eight people, including soldiers, LeT terrorists and civilians, were killed in Pakistan and over two dozen injured in the firings. On the Indian side, however, there had been only two casualties — of civilians.

(Villagers mourn the death of their relative whom locals say was killed by firing from the Pakistan side of the border at Arnia village: Photo: Reuters)
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