Thousands flee worsening India-Pakistan clashes

Thousands of Indians have fled their homes as fighting between India and Pakistan spreads along a 200-kilometer stretch of the Working Boundary in the disputed region of Kashmir.

Tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors has risen since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called off peace talks in August and clashes along stretches of their border have been erupting intermittently since October.

At least 10 Indian and Pakistani soldiers and civilians have been killed in fighting over the past week.

The Pakistani army said on Monday that Indian troops killed four civilians in the latest cross-border clash.

Indian forces on Saturday killed a 13-year-old girl in the recent escalation along the border, it said.

An Pakistani army statement said late on Monday that a woman was among four people who died in unprovoked shooting by Indian Border Forces in the Sialkot sector of the Working Boundary.

"Two more civilians embraced martyrdom due to Indian unprovoked firing," the statement said.

"Exchange of firing continues. Pakistani troops are targeting the Indian BSF positions, which are firing into Pakistan's area," the statement said.

Indian Border Security Force troops had invited the personnel of the Rangers, who guard the Pakistani border, for a flag meeting, but "greeted the unsuspecting soldiers with a volley of unprovoked fire", a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

About 6,000 civilians in India-controlled Kashmir fled from their homes late on Monday, as fighting moved to civilian areas, said Shantmanu, the divisional commissioner of the India-controlled region.

'Narrow escape'

"We had a narrow escape and there is a warlike situation," Sham Kumar, 54, from Sherpur village, told Reuters. "Pakistani troops are using long-range weapons. It is the first time we have seen such intense shelling."

The violence comes days before US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to visit India. US President Barack Obama is also due to visit India later this month.

The United States has for years been trying to push the South Asian rivals to build better relations. Mistrust between India and Pakistan is a factor behind conflict in various parts of the region, including Afghanistan.

Reuters - Xinhua