Srinagar, Sep 2 - Five guerrillas attempting to cross over from Pakistan were killed early Wednesday when Indian Army soldiers foiled their infiltration bid in Jammu and Kashmir's Gurez sector, officials here said.

A group of infiltrators were spotted by the alert soldiers guarding the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, in Gurez sector of north Kashmir's Bandipore district.

'The group of terrorists was challenged upon which they opened fire at the surrounding troops. In the heavy exchange of fire, five terrorists have so far been gunned down,' defence spokesperson Col Uma Maheshwar told IANS here.

'The operation is still on and firing exchanges are continuing.'

In another exchange of bullets between security personnel and militants in Baramulla district, a special police officer (SPO) was killed and a trooper wounded Tuesday afternoon.

Police said security forces had surrounded a forest area on specific information about the presence of a group of militants.

The hiding militants opened fire at the security forces killing an SPO on the spot and wounding a trooper.