The situation between India and Pakistan has escalated, resulting in intense military exchanges and heavy casualties in Kashmir. Locals in Poonch are bearing the brunt of this conflict, with reports of fatalities including children and families affected by cross-border shelling. Following the Indian missile strikes responding to an attack in Pahalgam, the response from Pakistan has been severe, marking a significant escalation in violence not seen in decades. The turmoil has left many witnessing devastation and mourning the loss of loved ones.
The video, shared with Al Jazeera by locals in Poonch, revealed a collapsed staircase, large craters in the walls, and a courtyard cluttered with rubble and clothes, and painted in blood.
The Indian strikes themselves a response to a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 mark the most extensive attack on Pakistani soil since their 1971 war.
This was a night of terror, Rameez Choudhary, a resident of Poonch, told Al Jazeera. The dead, officials told Al Jazeera, included two siblings who were crushed to death after an exploding shell dropped on their house.
Yet, as the nuclear-armed neighbours stand on the edge of a potential military conflict, many Kashmiris say they are facing the brunt of their tensions.
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