Four Indian Soldiers Killed in India-controlled Kashmir

Four Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistani army forces along the border with Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan, according to Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, deputy commissioner of Rajouri.

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One soldier and a teenage girl were wounded in today's shoutout. 

"The situation is tense currently on the border," Choudhary told Al Jazeera.

"Most of the areas near the border have been affected due to the ceasefire violation. Though it is difficult to evacuate the civilians at night, we are continuously monitoring the situation," said Choudhary.

There was no immediate response from Pakistan authorities regarding the attack. Indian officials say the opposing side used "small arms, automatics, mortars and missiles" to kill the Indian soldiers.

Violence between India and Pakistan over Kashmir have increased along the border in the Jammu region over the past month.

In January several clashes left over 20 people dead, including six civilians.

According to Indian forces in Kashmir, Pakistan violated their 2003 ceasefire agreement 130 times in January alone, the highest since 2014. Yet, both sides continue to fire shots across the so-called Line of Control (LoC) a de facto border between Kashmir and Pakistan agreed upon by Pakistan and India.

Over 300 schools along the militarized border were ordered closed for the next three days.

Since their independence from Britain in 1947 from Britain, India and Pakistan have continually fought over and claim legal rights to all of Kashmir.

For seventy years Pakistan has controlled Kashmir’s northern area, and India, the south, where a half a million Indian military members are currently deployed.

Some 70,000 Kashmiris have died fighting to expel Indian legions from their majority Muslim country, preferring to either independence or to form a part of Pakistan.