The Indian Army on Monday said it had foiled a “major attempt” by Pakistan’s Border Action Team to carry out a “gruesome attack” on a forward post along the Line of Control in Naugam sector of Jammu and Kashmir early Sunday. Two intruders, who are “likely Pakistani soldiers”, were killed, PTI reported.

The intruders, armed with explosive devices, had tried to come through thick jungles close to the Line of Control and were assisted by heavy covering fire of mortars and rocket launchers from posts on the Pakistani side, said an Army spokesperson. The Indian troops detected the movement and retaliated to the firing that followed, the spokesperson said.

“Own troops conducted prolonged search operations in thick jungles and difficult terrain conditions to ascertain the situation, which confirmed elimination of two likely Pakistani soldiers and resulted in recovery of a large cache of warlike stores,” the Army said. “The search operations are still underway in the sector to sanitise the area.”

The intruders were wearing “combat dresses like Pakistani Regulars and were carrying stores with Pakistani markings”. Some were also dressed in uniform of Indian security forces “as part of deception”, the spokesperson claimed.

“From the recovery [of weapons], it was estimated that they intended to carry out a gruesome attack on the Indian Army forward post in Naugam sector,” the Army said.

This came two days after four suspected militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Police said one of the militants is believed to be from Pakistan.