Some 40 terrorists have been gunned down in less than a week as security forces step up their operations in Kashmir valley and intelligence agencies warn of bloody days ahead.

The Indian Army on Wednesday said it has put troops along the Line of Control on high alert to thwart Pakistani attempts to push in terrorists before the advent of winter.

Intelligence assessment by various agencies, based on the interrogation of recently arrested terrorists and radio intercepts, indicates more attacks within Kashmir and in rest of India.

Army spokesman Colonel Anil Shorey said troops had gunned down 'over 35 terrorists in about five days'.

Shorey said that four terrorists who were infiltrating into Gurez side were gunned by troops on Tuesday night. Another was killed in Doda, he added.

In Gurez sector, in operations that lasted for almost two days from September 28, the army gunned down another 16 terrorists.

Colonel Shorey said the two sides have been exchanging small arms fire regularly. He said reports indicated that army's efforts to fight infiltration using new equipment, especially the hand held thermal imagers, are a success.

The recent killings, however, are not without their share of controversy.

On September 23, the security forces claimed that they eliminated two foreign terrorists in the jungles of Kupwara. Later it turned out that they were a father-son duo, who had gone into the forests near their village searching for cattle that had strayed away.

A senior army officer told rediff.com that 'collateral damages' are inevitable in anti-terrorists operations. "We hope to keep it minimum," he added.