Security forces on Friday said that five foreign militants were killed in a gunfight near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Additional Director General of Police Vijay Kumar said that a search operation is underway.

The police said that they had received intelligence about militants trying to cross the border after which an operation was launched, along with the Army, on Thursday.

This is the first major infiltration attempt by the militants in the Valley’s Kupwara sector this year, according to The Indian Express.

Infiltration attempts by militants had decreased drastically in the Valley since February 2021 when India and Pakistan agreed on a ceasefire along the Line of Control. The announcement had come following an increase in firing along the LoC and other areas along the border.

The development reaffirmed the commitment the two countries made during the 2003 ceasefire agreement under which military officials of the two sides have weekly discussions. The dialogue, however, takes place on a request and the director generals establish contact.