Jammu, Feb 15 (IANS): An army soldier was injured by gunfire on Friday near the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor sector, an official said.

According to officials, the army soldier sustained injuries during a gunfire near the LoC in Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.

"The soldier was deployed on a forward post in Battal area of Akhnoor sector when he was hit by gunfire apparently from across the LoC. He was immediately shifted to hospital for treatment. It would be premature to say whether the soldier was injured due to firing by Pakistan army or due to the firing by terrorists from Pakistani side of the LoC," an official said.

On February 11, two army soldiers including a captain were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Akhnoor sector.

It was later said that the IED had been planted by terrorists. On February 12, unprovoked firing by Pakistan army in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district was adequately retaliated by the Indian Army.

The Pakistan army is reported to have suffered casualties in the retaliatory firing by the Indian army.

On February 7, five terrorists were killed in a failed infiltration attempt on the LoC in Poonch district when one of the infiltrating terrorists stepped on a landline planted by the Indian army on Indian side of the LoC as part of anti-infiltration mechanism.

A day after this incident, patrolling army soldiers were fired at from across the LoC in Rajouri district without causing any casualty.

In the backdrop of these incidents, the Indian Army issued a statement on February 13 saying that the bilateral ceasefire on the LoC and the international border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir was being followed by both the neighbouring countries.

The statement added that stray incidents of ceasefire violation were being brought to the notice of the Pakistani authorities for corrective measures.