Army kills 5 militants on Kashmir border

SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Five militants were shot dead by Indian soldiers on Wednesday when they tried to sneak into Kashmir from the Pakistani side, the tenth infiltration attempt to be foiled in the past month, the Indian army said.
Intelligence officials say Pakistan-based militant groups have stepped up infiltration into Kashmir across the Line of Control (LoC) before winter snow blocks the Himalayan mountain passes.
The fresh incursion in Gurez sector in north Kashmir comes a day after Pakistani troops fired across the LoC killing an Indian soldier.
"The infiltrating group was heavily armed, we have killed five so far, the search operation continues near LoC," army spokesman Colonel Uma Maheshwari said.
The infiltration comes despite a ceasefire between the two armies and a three-metre-high barbed wire security fence along most of the 742-km LoC.
New Delhi accuses Pakistan of arming, training and sending militants to the strife-torn region.
Pakistan, which like India claims all of Kashmir, has consistently denied its involvement in abetting the anti-India insurgency that has killed more than 47,000.