Two Pakistan Army troops killed in Kashmir border clash

Two Pakistani army soldiers were killed in a clash along the Kashmir border with India, the military said on Wednesday.

The clash, the latest in a string of border skirmishes, took place along the Line of Control (LoC) -- a de facto border that splits the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir between the two arch rivals.

"During intense exchange of fire, Sepoy Noor ul Hassan, 29, and Sepoy Waseem Ali, 25 embraced shahadat (martyrdom)," according to a statement.

"There have been 2,333 cease-fire violations by Indian troops in 2020, " the statement further said.

Long-fraught relations between the two South Asian nuclear rivals have further flared up after India scrapped the special provisions of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in August last year.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts but claimed by both in full. A small sliver of the region is also controlled by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, New Delhi and Islamabad have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965, and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands have been killed and tortured in the conflict that flared up in 1989.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts but claimed by both in full. A small sliver of the region is also controlled by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, New Delhi and Islamabad have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965, and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands have been killed and tortured in the conflict that flared up in 1989.