Indian security forces have killed five foreign militants in a gunfight along the Line of Control (LOC) in Jumagund area of Indian-administered Kashmir, according to local police. The militants were allegedly attempting to infiltrate the border from Pakistan. The search for the militants is ongoing, and their nationalities are yet to be confirmed.
Kashmir has been a longstanding point of conflict between India and Pakistan. Both nuclear-armed countries claim the entirety of the Muslim-majority Himalayan region, which has been the site of a decades-long insurgency against New Delhi.
India accuses Pakistan of supporting the militancy in Kashmir, a charge which Islamabad denies. The melting of the mountainous region’s snow is likely to present a fresh challenge for India’s national security, with terrorists potentially seeking to take advantage of traditional infiltration routes.
The Indian army claims it has thwarted two additional infiltration attempts since Thursday, with troops successfully challenging one group of infiltrators. In a second infiltration attempt, the attackers fled under heavy cover of darkness and a thick canopy of trees. A search following the second incident uncovered a large cache of arms and ammunition left behind by the fleeing militants.
