As Kupwara operations entered 15th day today, fresh exchange of fire took place this morning between security forces and militants holed up in a forest in this north Kashmir's.

The operation in Manigah forests was launched on November 13 following information about presence of a group of heavily armed militants there.

Colonel Santosh Mahadik was killed in the operation on November 17 while another officer was among several soldiers during the fortnight long operation. One unidentified militant has also been killed.

"Fresh firing has been reported from the Manigah forests of Kupwara this morning between security forces and the militants holed up there," a police official said. The official said the exchange of fire lasted little over 25 minutes but no casualty has been reported.

Meanwhile, at least 30 terrorists have been brought into the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) region by ISI to carry out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir with the help of terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), intelligence inputs have suggested.

These terrorists were brought from Peshawar under the guidance of ISI and kept in a launching pad across the Line of Control in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir region, reported a news channel.

The ISI has instructed the terrorists to carry out terror attacks in Kashmir valley over the next one month and before the routes in the upper reaches closes down due to heavy snowfall, the sources said quoting the inputs.

The ISI also organised a meeting of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad in the PoK and it was held under the supervision of ISI handler Shaukat Khan alias Abu Suleman, the sources added.

The Pakistani intelligence agency wants the three terrorist groups, which are active in the Jammu and Kashmir, to let the 30 terrorists to carry out the attacks in the Valley.

The JeM, which was out of favour of the ISI after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf a few years ago, seems to be back under the ISI fold.