Army claims body of soldier was mutilated and threatens retribution after Pakistani troops crossed line of control

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

India says three of its soldiers have been killedin disputed Kashmir, blaming Pakistani troops.

The body of one of the soldiers had been mutilated, said the army, which threatened retribution.

One army official said Pakistani soldiers had crossed the line of control that divides Kashmir to launch an attack. “This border action was like a sneak attack by Pakistan soldiers,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Indian media reports said one of the soldiers had been beheaded, although this could not be confirmed.

The news comes a month after another claim by the Indian army that a soldier’s body had been mutilated after he was shot.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, which last week accused India of killing seven of its soldiers in cross-border fire in Kashmir.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours have been strained since a September attack on an Indian base in Kashmir that killed 19 soldiers and which Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

Since then there have been repeated outbreaks of cross-border fire in Kashmir, with both sides reporting deaths and injuries, including of civilians.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both countries claim the whole Himalayan territory and they have fought two wars over it.

Rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers for independence for the region or its merger with Pakistan. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians.