Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lieutenant General Nirmal Chandra Vij had asked his Pakistani counterpart Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia on August 31 to return the Indian patrol team members in case they had inadvertently strayed into Pakistani territory, an Army spokesman said today. The patrol team consisted of an officer and five jawans of 3 Rajput Battalion.

Pakistan, meanwhile, claimed that it had captured two Indian soldiers, Lance Naik Ram Singh (number 2984373) and Sepoy Bajinder Singh (number 2996593) of Rajputana Rifles, on the night of August 29 in Shyok-Turtuk sector near Siachen glacier. In Islamabad, military spokesman Brig Rashid Qureshisaid the Indian soldiers had been captured during ``an act of aggression'' when 400 Indian troops attacked across the Line of Control. Pakistan even showed video footage, apparently of the two soldiers. There is, however, no information about the officer and three other soldiers, the Army said.

Army Headquarters also said eight attempts had been made over the last 15 days by Pakistani troops to capture some tactically important protective patrol positions with a view to alter the LoC.

The positions attacked were deployed ahead of the defences to provide them tactical depth. When Indian forces repulsed these attacks, 24 Pakistani intruders were killed. Three of these attempts at different times came on Tuesday and Wednesday, one each at Akhnoor, Rajouri and Naugam.

The Akhnoor operation was preceded by heavy firing over a period of three to four hours whereas the other two were planned as surprise operations. Of the intruders killed the bodies of five were in the custody of the Army.

Three Indiansoldiers were killed and seven wounded in these attacks.