A top leader of the Hizbul Mujahideen and a suspected Pakistani militant were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Shopian district of South Kashmir on Friday, police said.
The police, assisted by troops of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles cordoned off Tharima-Keller, 65 km from here, in the evening following inputs that militants were hiding in the area.
During searches, the militants lurking in a house opened fire and were killed in retaliatory fire, police said.
The slain militants were identified as Fayaz Peer, ‘divisional commander' of the Hizbul Mujahideen, and a Pakistani national identified as Usma, police said.