Jammu, Feb 8 (IANS): Suspected terrorists fired at an army patrol near the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Rajouri district on Saturday, officials said.

The incident was reported from the Keri sector of Rajouri.

"A patrolling party of the army was fired at by suspected terrorists from across the border at around 2 p.m. today near Baratgala in the Keri sector of Rajouri. No loss of life or injury has been reported so far in the incident. The incident took place in the forward area of the LoC in the afternoon and is believed to have been done by suspected terrorists from across the border. Soldiers fired a few rounds in retaliation. Searches are now going on in the area," an official said.

On Friday, five Pakistani terrorists were killed in a landmine explosion near the LoC in the Battal sector of Poonch district. Officials said that the incident occurred when the terrorists were trying to infiltrate into India from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and one of them inadvertently stepped on a landmine planted along the border.

This triggered an explosion in which all five were killed.

Areas close to the border fence in J&K are heavily mined by the army as part of the anti-infiltration mechanism. This area, called the ‘No man’s land’ is a forbidden area for the patrolling soldiers and locals living close to the LoC.

Since there has been very little snowfall on the mountains this winter so far, all the infiltration routes of the terrorists are reportedly open. It is for this reason that the army and the security forces are maintaining high vigil along the border and in the hinterland. Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, who chaired a high-level security review meeting on J&K early this week, has ordered zero infiltration and zero tolerance to terrorism in J&K.