An Army soldier and a civilian were killed on Friday morning in cross-border firing by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, reports said.

The soldier was killed in the Naushera Sector of Rajouri, while the civilian Ibrar Ahmad (30) was killed in shelling by Pakistan in the Lohil Bella village of the Poonch district, reports added.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in a post on X, paid tributes to the Army Jawan Murali Naik (25). Naik was martyred during cross-border firing by the Pakistani forces along the LoC, he said.

Naidu expressed condolences on X, saying, “It is saddening to hear of the loss of life of a soldier named Murali Nayak from Gorantla Mandal, Penukonda Assembly Constituency, Sri Sathya Sai District in the defence of the country. Tributes to the martyr Murali Nayak who laid down his life for the country. I express my deepest condolences to his family members.”

He assured the family of Murali that the state government would stand by him. The CM paid tributes to the brave soldier.

An Army soldier, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of the 5 Fd Regiment, was killed in Pakistan shelling earlier on 7 May in the Poonch Sector.

Besides, at least 14 people, including four children, were killed and 57 others were injured after Pakistan Army carried out one of the most intense artillery and mortar shelling in years targeting forward villages along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after India conducted counter-terrorism operation “Operation Sindoor” to avenge the killing of 26 civilians on 22 April in Pahalgam by Pakistan-backed terrorists.

Several civilians were injured and many houses were destroyed due to Pakistani shelling in the Uri Sector of Kashmir.