The BSF on Thursday said that its jawans foiled a major infiltration bid along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district overnight.

It said a group of four to six militants sneaked into Jammu and Kashmir after targeting a BSF vehicle with rifle fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Kathua’s Bobiya area shortly before midnight. The men on board the vehicle, which was patrolling the area at the time of the infiltration bid, and also other BSF jawans guarding the IB retaliated, leading to exchanges which continued for over 20 minutes. The BSF alleged that the Pakistan Rangers also opened indiscriminate fire towards the Indian positions apparently to provide covering fire to the infiltrating militants.

The officials said that when the BSF fired para bombs for illumination of the area, the militants escaped and were seen carrying an injured with them. There were no casualties on the Indian side.

Earlier, Pakistan troops resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing at Tarkundi and Manjakote in Bhimber Gali sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Rajouri and Poonch districts. They not only did open fire at forward Indian positions, some civilian areas were targeted too resulting in panic among the residents. The officials said that the Paki-stan Army used 82mm mortars and automatic weapons. The Indian troops retaliated with same calibre weapons, the officials said.

In the backdrop of latest skirmishes, BSF’s inspector general D.K. Upadhyay on Thursday said it is fully prepared “to give a befitting reply to the terrorists in the language they understand”.