Three Indian Army soldiers were killed by Pakistani commandos along the Line of Control in Machhal area of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. According to the Army’s Northern Command, the body of one of the jawans was mutilated. However, Pakistan’s Foreign Office rejected the allegation.

The attackers were part of the Border Action Team of the Pakistani Army, according to NDTV. According to reports, all of them managed to escape. “Retribution will be heavy for this cowardly act,” the Army’s Northern Command said in a statement.

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This comes a day after Border Security Force head constable Rai Singh succumbed to his injuries sustained during cross-border firing by Pakistani troops in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. On Sunday, another BSF jawan and a civilian were injured in cross-border firing. Two houses were also damaged during the firing when the Pakistani Army targeted Indian Army posts and civilian areas in Nowshera and Sunderbani sectors of Rajouri.

Reports of ceasefire violations by Pakistan have increased since the surgical strikes were conducted on September 29. The Indian Army on November 17 denied Pakistan’s claim that 11 Indian soldiers had been killed along the Line of Control on November 14, the same day Islamabad had alleged that seven Pakistani soldiers had died in cross-border firing. The Army’s Northern Command said there had been no casualties on the Indian side during firing by Pakistan on November 14,15 and 16, calling the neighbouring country’s claim false.

This was the first time that Pakistan had admitted to casualties on its side. In September, the country had rebuffed claims of the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army along the LoC as “cross-border firing”. In October, too, Islamabad had denied claims by the BSF that it had killed seven Pakistani Rangers.