Miitary shoots down Indian spy aircraft

The Pakistan military said on Saturday that it shot down an Indian spy aircraft hours after Indian cross-border firing killed two Pakistani girls.

“Indian Quad Copter shot down by Pakistan troops at Aagahi Post in Rak Chakri sector” near Rawlakot along the Line of Control (LoC), a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations said.

The aircraft had intruded 60 meters in the Pakistani side of the LoC, which divides the two countries in the disputed Kashmir region.

The wreckage of the drone is now in the custody of the Pakistani forces, it added.

Earlier the Pakistani army said that two girls were killed and three persons injured in “unprovoked” firing by the Indian troops in Singhala Village of Khoi Ratta along the LoC.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria strongly condemned unprovoked firing by the Indian troops. He said the slain girls were aged 4 and 7 years old.

The two countries had declared ceasefire along the LoC and working boundary in 2003.

However, escalation between the two bitter neighbors has been seen since militants attacked an army center in the Indian-controlled Kashmir in September.