Four security personnel and seven civilians killed amid violence linked to protest unrest in AJK.
Image: NBC NEWS
RAWALAKOT: At least 11 people, including four law enforcement personnel and seven civilians, were killed after intense clashes and an armed attack on the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), officials said.
According to the Inspector General of AJK Police, the incident involved armed elements opening fire on deployed security forces, followed by an attack and damage to CMH, which disrupted medical services and endangered patients.
Officials said three AJK police personnel and one Frontier Constabulary (FC) member were among the dead. More than 20 officers were injured, several of them seriously.
Poonch Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan confirmed the civilian casualties, saying at least seven people were killed during the clashes.
Authorities described the incident as a coordinated act of terrorism rather than a continuation of peaceful protest activity.
Tensions escalated after the death of a local trader during a confrontation with law enforcement, which triggered protests linked to the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
The group, originally formed to protest rising electricity bills and wheat prices, has since expanded its demands to political reforms, including the removal of reserved refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
The AJK government has already banned the JAAC under anti-terrorism laws and launched a crackdown, detaining more than 70 people across the region.
Security remains tight across AJK, with additional forces deployed and communications restrictions in place as authorities try to prevent further unrest.
