Militants fired upon a CRPF camp of 15 battalion at Sumbal. (File photo for representation)

Four terrorists were killed today by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police, after they attempted to attack a CRPF camp at Sumbal in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The heavily armed militants tried to enter the camp of 45 Battalion CRPF at around 4:10 am, a police official said. They lobbed grenades, and later opened fire. The alert sentries retaliated.

The encounter lasted only 45 minutes. The first terrorist, who tried to enter the camp by lobbing grenades, was gunned down in first few minutes.

After a heavy exchange of fire, the other terrorists were forced to retreat, and were gunned down by Sumbal Police personnel, who had surrounded them.

A large cache of arms and ammunitions - including 4 AK 47 rifles (one of which was fitted with UBGL), and over a dozen grenades - have been recovered. However, the identity of the slain militants hasn't been ascertained as yet.

Arms and ammunition recovered after the encounter (ANI Photo) Arms and ammunition recovered after the encounter (ANI Photo)

TERRORISTS 'PLANNED URI-STYLE ATTACK'

The four terrorists may have infiltrated recently from an undisclosed location and were planning an Uri-style attack, sources told India Today

They were carrying incendiary material, including 3 petrol bombs.

The "terrorists were planning to take control and burn down the camp. The plan of fidayeen was to get inside the camp and take control of a vantage point to prolong (the) encounter...then to burn up the place with incendiary material causing wide-scale damage," highly-placed sources said.

CRPF IG Zulfikar Hassan commended his men for successfully fending off the terror attack. "Our alert jawans along with Jammu and Kashmir police neutralised the terrorists," he said.

Arms and ammunition recovered after the encounter (ANI Photo) Arms and ammunition recovered after the encounter (ANI Photo)

Incidentally, this was Chetan Cheeta 's battalion. Cheeta is the brave CRPF officer who took nine bullets in an encounter in Bandipora earlier this year.

Confirming the incident, Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid told India Today, "Four terrorists have been gunned down after they attempted to attack 45 Battalion CRPF at Sumbal".

There have been several infiltration attempts in North Kashmir. This comes close on the heels of a terror attack on an army convoy in Quazigund.

Sources say extra forces have been deployed along the LoC and borders, anticipating trouble from Pakistan whose army provides cover fire during infiltration bids, and an increased threat from Border Action Teams (BATs).

ALSO READ | 10 days after Sukma, CRPF claims to have arrested 10 Naxals involved in the attack

WATCH VIDEO | Four terrorists who targeted CRPF camp in North Kashmir killed