India, Pakistan Forces Trade Fire for Fourth Consecutive Night

Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged gunfire across the disputed Kashmir border for a fourth consecutive night, as tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries continued to rise.

No casualties were reported, and Pakistan did not immediately confirm the exchange. The gunfire comes in the aftermath of an attack last week in Muslim-majority Kashmir, where gunmen killed 26 civilians — the deadliest such attack in 25 years. India has accused Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism," while Pakistan has rejected the claims as "frivolous" and vowed to respond to any Indian actions.

According to the Indian army, Pakistani posts opened "unprovoked small arms fire" across the Line of Control during the night of April 27-28. Indian troops "responded swiftly and effectively," it said.

In response to the April 22 attack, India downgraded diplomatic ties, revoked visas for Pakistani nationals, suspended a water-sharing treaty, and announced the closure of the main land border crossing. Pakistan retaliated by expelling Indian diplomats, cancelling visas for Indians, and closing its airspace to Indian aircraft.

The United Nations has urged both sides to exercise "maximum restraint" and resolve their disputes through peaceful dialogue.