Giving details, a Defence Ministry spokesman told UNI that a group of Pakistani troops, under the cover of poor visibility, was seen moving towards an Indian post around 0100 hours this morning.

He said an alert sentry in the post, who noticed the movement of Pakistani troops at a distance of about 500 metres, immediately alerted the other soldiers. When the Pakistani troops were marching towards our post, the Indian troops opened fire with automatic and small arms, the spokesman said adding, some soldiers were also seen falling to the ground in the retaliatory action by Indian troops. Marks of some bodies being dragged back into the Pakistan post were clearly visible on the glacier, the spokesman informed.

This is the second unsuccessful attempt by Pakistani troops to capture Indian post in Siachen glacier in the last eightdays. It may be recalled that a multi-directional attack by Pakistani troops on a tactically important post on the Siachen glacier was repulsed by Indian troops on October 18. Pakistani troops suffered at least three casualties on that occasion when Indian troops opened fire to repulse attempt to capture the Indian post.

Last year, three attempts by Pakistani troops to capture posts at Siachen were successfully foiled by Indian troops.

39 Pakistanis held

RAJKOT: Thirty-nine Pakistanis on three mechanised boats were arrested by the Indian Coast Guards off Jakhau in the Indian waters of Gulf of Kutch yesterday. They were brought to the Porbandar port and handed over to the police for interrogation, the police sources said. Further investigations are on.