 "A resident inspects his house damaged by Pakistani artillery shelling in Poonch, along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. AP file")
Pakistan’s cross-border shelling targeting Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district has left behind a trail of destruction and resulted in civilian deaths, as India thwarted Islamabad’s offensive on Thursday evening.
Pakistan launched a series of air raids along the international border on May 8, targeting military installations and border areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The Ministry of Defence has said that the Pakistani airstrikes involved the deployment of conventional air-to-ground missiles, kamikaze drones and unmanned aerial systems. The Indian Army said that India thwarted Islamabad’s drone attacks, and a “befitting reply was given to the ceasefire violations.”
Children and a soldier die in attack
Pakistan’s provocation killed as many as 15 people, including four children and a soldier. Over 57 people were injured after the country launched artillery and mortar shelling along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, Ajay Maini, 49, a government school teacher in Poonch, said, “Vihaan Bhargav, 13, son of my friend and colleague Sanjeev Kumar Bhargav, lost his life after a Pakistani mortar shell hit their car in Bhainch. The shell hit the little boy on his head and the sight of his scalp hanging and blood oozing out of his head was heart wrenching.”
 "How India foiled Pakistan’s overnight air attacks with advanced defence systems and blackouts")
 "India repels Pakistan’s air raids: What were the targets, how were drones intercepted?")
The soldier who died in the shelling was Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of 5 Fd Regt, 16 Corps, Indian Army, the White Knight Corps, said on X.
Houses damaged
Many civilians found their homes damaged by Pakistani shelling. The air attacks developed huge cracks in several homes and also ripped off the roofs of some.
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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah left for Jammu early Friday to take stock of the situation following last night’s failed drone attack by Pakistan.