US following developments at Indo-Pak border, wants tensions reduced

The US is closely following the developments on the India-Pakistan border where there has been an escalation of tension and has asked both countries to "bilaterally" work their way through the situation.

The US is closely following the developments on the India-Pakistan border where there has been an escalation of tension and has asked both countries to "bilaterally" work their way through the situation.

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"We want to see the tensions reduced, we want to see the two countries bilaterally work their way through this," state department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at his daily news briefing on Thursday.

"Violence, such as we've seen press reports today, certainly do not contribute to security along that border and in that region," Kirby said, adding that US Secretary of State John Kerry has been following this very closely.

There have been a series of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan which has resorted to mortar shelling of Indian areas over the past two days.

Pakistan recently claimed to have downed a "spy drone" belonging to Indian security forces.

India denied the allegations, saying the drone appeared to be of Chinese design and is commercially available off the shelf.

After a recent war of words between India and Pakistan, Kerry last month had called Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and expressed "enormous concern" over the increase in tensions with India.

Kerry had asserted that there should not be any "misinterpretation or miscalculation" between the two neighbours.

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