December 30, 2002	Monday	Shawwal 25, 1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 29: Indian troops shelled several villages along the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, but officials said no casualties were reported from anywhere.

The enemy shelling, which the officials described as heavy and unprovoked, targeted Sehra sector in the southern district of Poonch and Samahni sector in the southernmost district of Bhimbher.

In Sehra sector it began at about 12:35pm and continued for one and a half hour. Using mortars and medium artillery, Indian troops hit the villages of Batal, Mandhol and Sehra,” senior police officer Raja Ghulam Sarwar told Dawn.

At least three houses were damaged and some cattle were killed, but fortunately there were no casualties, he added.

A district administration official said from district headquarter Rawalakot that one of the shells landed outside the police post in Sehra, due to which the outer wall of the post caved in. Besides, he said, some electricity lines in the area were also damaged, resulting in suspension of power supply.

In the Samahni sector of district Bhimbher, shelling began at about 12:25pm Indian troops pounded the villages of Haripur and Khumbah with mortar shells, but no physical or material losses occurred, Sarwar said.