At least nine Pakistani and eight Indian civilians have been killed by cross-border shelling in Kashmir during the past week, in some of the heaviest fighting between the two countries in a decade. Thousands of people on both sides have fled their homes. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the Muslim-majority territory since the end of British colonial rule on the subcontinent in 1947.
Civilians Bear Brunt Of Kashmir Fighting
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A Pakistani woman is seen through the hole in her roof, which was allegedly punctured by Indian shells, in the border village of Dhamala Hakimwala in Punjab Province, Pakistan.
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A Pakistani villager holds up a pot with fragments of mortar shells, which locals say were fired from the Indian side of the disputed border in Kashmir.
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Pakistani villagers and their children leaving Dhamala Hakimwala to seek safety elsewhere. Thousands of people have fled to refugee camps.
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A Pakistani villager in Dhamala Hakimwala stands in the doorway of a house that was damaged in a recent exchange of fire with India.
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An Indian border guard is brought to a hospital in Jammu, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, on October 9. The Indian authorities said he was wounded during a cross-border exchange with Pakistani soldiers.
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Indian villagers flee on a tractor trailer from areas allegedly shelled by Pakistan, in Chalyari village, 65 kilometers from Jammu.
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An Indian villager covers the body of a cow allegedly killed by Pakistani fire, in the village of Arnia, 45 kilometers from Jammu.
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An Indian villager carries a child past a pock-marked house where four members of a family were reported to have been killed in cross-border exchanges, in Mashe de Kothe village, some 55 kilometers from Jammu.
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Indian children sleep at a community hall in Ranbir Singh Pura village, about 25 kilometers from Jammu, on October 9. Families were taking refuge there to avoid alleged Pakistani shelling.