At least one soldier, a civilian and three terrorists were killed after an encounter took place between terrorists and security forces in the wee hours of Thursday in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. All the three terrorists were affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist outfit. The incident took place at Dalipora area of the district at 4 in the morning. Two soldiers and one civilian have also been injured.

Police identified the three terrorists as Naseer Pandith of Karmibad Pulwama, Umar Mir of Bethipora Shopian and Khalid Bhai from Pakistan. A Pakistani terrorist, the top commander of JeM Khaled, was the mastermind of 2017 Lethpora CRPF camp attack in which five CRPF personnel were killed. He was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head.

Police sources said that Khalid was active since the last eight years in Kashmir and termed his killing as a major success. However, an official confirmation is still awaited.

A civilian, identified as Rayees, also died on the spot. His brother Younis, who was injured, was immediately taken to a nearby hospital from where he was referred to Srinagar hospital for specialized treatment.

Many arms and ammunition were also recovered from the encounter site. A curfew has been imposed in Pulwama amid clashes. The internet connection has also been snapped.

A joint search operation was launched by the 55 Rashtriya Rifles, the Pulwama Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The area was cordoned off after a tip was received about the presence of terrorists in the area.

The encounter is over and the combing operation has also ended.