India: 1,500 militants waiting to sneak

NEW DELHI, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- India says around 1,500 militants are waiting at the border along Pakistan to enter Jammu & Kashmir state.

“More than 1,500 militants, mostly foreigners from different parts of Pakistan, are waiting at different launching pads near the border to sneak into this side before the infiltration routes are closed due to snowfall,” an Indian army spokesman said Friday.

Meanwhile, Indian troops said they foiled a major infiltration bid when they gunned down three heavily armed militants near the Line of Control in Indian Kashmir Wednesday.

The spokesman said troops guarding the border noticed a group of militants entering near the Machil and Keran sectors of the frontier district of Kupwara early Wednesday, taking advantage of darkness.

According to the army, this was the first infiltration attempt from Pakistani Kashmir since the militant Hizbul Mujahideen announced a three-day unilateral cease-fire on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in its entirety and have fought two wars over it.