Jaish-e-Mohammad militant was killed in an ongoing encounter with security forces in Verinag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Saturday.

Sources said the gunfight broke out after a joint team of army’s 19 Rashtriya Rifles and Jammu and Kashmir police launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Nowgam village of Anantnag, 70 km from here.

One militant was killed in the initial round of fire while two more militants are believed to be trapped in the area, they said and added the operation was going on when reports last came in.

The slain militant was identified as Mohammad Iqbal, a local, affiliated with the Jaish. However, there was no official confirmation.

On Twitter police said a brief exchange of fire took place between the militants and the security forces.

107 militants of various groups and 59 force personnel have been killed in militancy violence in the Valley this year. According to official figures, 101 militants were killed from January 1 till May 31, which is higher than the corresponding period of 2018 when 71 militants were killed.