Srinagar/Pulwama, September 2
Three militants, including one of the last surviving commanders of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, were killed in a counter-insurgency operation in south Kashmir's Pulwama district this afternoon. The operation lasted 16 hours.

The slain militants have been identified as Altaf Ahmad Rather, Showkat Ahmad Dar and Farooq Ahmad, all residents of south Kashmir. The police identified Rather as the district commander of the JeM. He was among the last surviving senior ranking militants of the outfit, which had pioneered suicide attacks in Kashmir.

The bodies of militants, an AK-47 assault rifle, three self-loading rifles (SLRs) and a pistol were recovered from the encounter site in Pulwama's Hanjan village, around 40 km from Srinagar.

The security forces had laid siege to a house in Hanjan village on Monday evening after receiving reports about the presence of militants, said sources. Cordon was laid around the house and holed-up militants were asked to surrender, who refused the offer, triggering the gunfight which continued throughout the night and intensified after dawn.

A police spokesman said the hiding militants fired at the joint search party as the area was being cordoned off. "The encounter started when the search operation resumed this morning in which three militants were killed," the spokesman said.

Area residents said they heard loud blasts during the day as the militants continued firing at the security forces. The encounter ended this afternoon after the house was blown up and the militants were killed.

Since last year, the JeM has lost several foreign and at least eight local militants, including its erstwhile divisional commander Altaf Baba, during operations by security forces in south Kashmir.

The area also witnessed protests since early morning as youth pelted police and paramilitary personnel with stones. Eight protesters were injured.