NEW DELHI: In what is proving to be the biggest infiltration bid across the Line of Control (LoC) in recent years, the Army has been battling a determined and well-entrenched group of 35-40 militants and Pakistani 'special troops’ in Keran sector of Kupwara district of J&K for the last nine days.

The Army, which has pressed additional forces, helicopters and spy drones into action, claims to have killed 15 of the intruders after cordoning off the Shala Bhata area in the Keran sector once the "first contact was made" at about 8pm on September 24. Five Indian soldiers have also been wounded in the fierce gunbattle.

Ironically, the skirmish was in full swing when PM Manmohan Singh met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York last Sunday to discuss measures to reduce tensions along the 778-km-long LoC. There has been a definite surge in infiltration attempts and militancy in J&K this year, along with as many as 150 ceasefire violations by Pakistan being recorded since January, 2013.

The Army, however, was quick to dismiss as "absurd" that it was "a mini-Kargil like situation" or that three to four Indian posts along the LoC had been "occupied" for the first time since the 1999 conflict due to the laxity by Indian troops.

The force also denied having passed off a 70-year-old man as "a dreaded militant" after killing him in the region. "The militant was aged between 40 and 45 years. An AK-47 rifle was recovered from him," said the Srinagar-based 15 Corps commander, Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh, on Wednesday.

But it cannot be denied that the ongoing operation in the thickly-forested, high-altitude Shala Bhata area along the Kishanganga river, which overlooks a strategically-located Pakistani road network, has certainly taken the Army leadership by surprise.

The intruders have exhibited "an unusual resolve" to stand their ground and not, as is the norm, scurry back across the LoC after being intercepted. "It’s a do-or-die style operation by the well-entrenched intruders around 300 metres inside Indian territory," said a source.

Besides, reconnaissance missions and radio intercepts have shown that attempts were being made to "set up supply and logistics lines" to the infiltrators from across the LoC, much like what is done for "regular" troops.

"Infiltrators try to sneak across in small groups of 8-10 each. This is a much larger group. The firing has taken place along a frontage of 4-5km with 'contact' being established in at least four places," said an officer.

Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh did admit that an "analysis" of the situation showed the involvement of "a border action team (BAT)", a mix of Pakistani Army regulars and militants from Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba , Al Badr and Hizbul Mujahideen.

"From the operation that is going on till now and the strength (of infiltrators) and the multiple points they attempted (to infiltrate), give the indication that definitely there were some special troops. This is quite different from the trend we have seen in the earlier infiltration attempts," said Lieutenant General Singh.

The Pakistani Army is known to keep a hawk-eye on the LoC, and quickly steps in to take advantage of any laxity shown by Indian soldiers. The "BAT-cum-infiltration bid" in the Keran sector came during the changeover of battalions, just after the 20 Kumaon regiment had handed over charge to the 3/3 Gorkha Rifles. "It was the first day of the Gorkhas there," said a source.

Even during the killing of five Indian soldiers in the Poonch sector in early August, the 14 Maratha Light Infantry was being inducted to replace the 21 Bihar Regiment when cross-border raid by another BAT took place. "The unit being posted out become slightly complacent during the changeover of battalions, while the one replacing it takes time to become familiar with the area," said an officer.