Two jawans were seriously injured in the initial attack by militants, who later succumbed to their injuries. The troops cordoned off the houses where a school is also located. About 200 children and their teachers were rescued by the security forces.

In the encounter that followed, two women who were caught in the crossfire were killed. Two unidentified militants, belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, were killed in the encounter, which continued for about seven hours.

The outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came merely 36 hours after a suicide attack on the government building housing the Press Information Bureau and Directorate of State Information Department on Tuesday evening. In another incident, two unidentified militants and two security forces personnel were killed in an encounter in the Kreeri area in Baramula district in north Kashmir last night.