Militants on Friday suffered twin blows after security forces killed a group of five infiltrators in north Kashmir’s Kupwara while five suspected militants responsible for the killing of a circus performer from the minority Hindu community were arrested in south Kashmir.

The army said the five unidentified militants were killed in an ambush in the Keran sector.

Major General Girish Kalia, who heads the north Kashmir-based Vajra division, said the army had received specific information about a likely infiltration bid, after which multiple ambushes were laid along key routes.

“Around midnight, ambush teams observed five heavily armed terrorists crossing the Line of Control. The terrorists were engaged by the ambush teams along the fence in spite of adverse weather and terrain conditions,” Kalia told reporters.

The officer said the ensuing firefight resulted in the death of five infiltrating militants without any collateral damage to soldiers. He said the militants appeared to be highly trained.

Five AK series rifles, 14 grenades, 500 AK rounds, night-vision goggles and huge quantities of war-like stores were recovered from the possession of the militants, the army said.

The army said the infiltration had exposed the “facade of false commitment to the ceasefire understanding by Pakistan”.

Separately, the police said they had arrested five Jaish-i-Muhammad militants allegedly involved in the killing of circus performer Deepak Kumar, a resident of Jammu’s Udhampur. Kumar was killed at Janglatmandi near an amusement park in Anantnag in south Kashmir 18 days ago.