The forces had cordoned the Kellam Devsar area in Kulgam last night following information about the presence of militants in the area

As the search operations were underway in the area, the militants opened fire, triggering a gunfight.

Five militants were killed on Sunday after an encounter broke out in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district. At least 8 civilians and four CRPF personnel were injured due to stone pelting after clashes broke out in the area.

The gunfight began in the early hours of Sunday morning after a joint team of security forces launched cordon and search operation in Kulgam’s Kellam Devsar area following information about the presence of militants in the area. As the forces zeroed in on the suspected place, the militants opened fire, triggering the encounter.

The operation is now over, army officials said. Weapons and war-like stores have been recovered from the encounter site, the official added.

Earlier this week, a self-styled district commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terror outfit was killed in a brief encounter in Pulwama. The encounter broke out when a joint patrolling party of army and police was fired upon by terrorists at Chakoora area of Pulwama district, a police spokesman said. The dead identified as Irfan Ahmed Sheikh was affiliated with LeT and was known as district commander of the outfit for Pulwama.