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Afghan authorities plan to release 900 more Taliban prisoners Tuesday, as a rare cease-fire by the insurgents entered its third and last day.
The pause in fighting, which came into effect Sunday to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, was for the most part holding out across the country, officials said.
India-Pakistan tensions have erupted amid reports of clashes and “heavy shelling” in the disputed region of Kashmir.
According to reports this evening, there has been heavy shelling in the region. It has not been confirmed whether there have been any casualties as of yet. The clashes are alleged to have taken place in the Poonch district of the Jammu and Kashmir region.
The military has confirmed the death of four top leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) during an encounter along the borders of Agusan del Norte and Misamis Oriental.
Major General Franco Nemesio M Gacal, division commander of the 4th Infantry Division of the Army, confirmed the information on Thursday.
Experts say that border guards of India and China often come to face to face in summers, when they come out to patrol the mountainous area after spending long icy winters insiders their bunkers.
Last week, a face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers along their borders left 11 of them injured on both sides.
The Taliban said they carried out a deadly attack Thursday on an Afghan army base after the government ordered forces to resume strikes against the militants.
The defence ministry said a truck bomb targeted the base in the eastern city of Gardez, killing five civilians.