Jammu and Kashmir: Security forces kill 3 militants after 18-hour gunfight

Three militants were killed and an Army jawan was injured in an 18-hour gunfight on the outskirts of Srinagar, police said Sunday.

Acting on inputs, a search operation was launched by the police and security forces at Mujgund area on Bandipora road on Saturday. The operation turned into an encounter after the militants fired on the search party, a police spokesperson said.

An Army jawan sustained injuries and was shifted to hospital for treatment. Three militants were killed and the bodies have been retrieved from the site of the encounter that ended on Sunday morning, the spokesperson said.

The identities and affiliation of the militants were yet to be known, he said, adding that arms and ammunition had been recovered from the site.

"People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitised and cleared of all the explosives materials if any," the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, clashes between groups of youth and security forces have erupted in the area. Authorities have suspended mobile Internet services in the city as a precautionary measure, a police official said.