Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday killed a suspected militant during a gunfight in Behramgala area of Poonch district, reported PTI.

The deceased militant has been identified as Abu Zarara, said Defence Public Relations Officer Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand. The security forces have recovered an AK-47 rifle, four magazines and pouches from the site of the gunfight.

Zarara is reportedly from Pakistan, and is said to be affiliated to Lashkar-e-Taiba, The Indian Express reported.

The Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police had launched a cordon and search operation in the area on the basis of inputs about the presence of militants there, according to the newspaper. The militants allegedly opened fire on the security personnel, after which the operation turned into a gunfight.

Zarara is the eighth militant to have been killed in the districts of Rajouri and Poonch in recent times, Anand said. His accomplice is said to be on the run.

“The militant, specially trained and brainwashed to operate in Rajouri-Poonch area with a possible aim of orchestrating a spectacular strike, was first spotted in August this year,” the officer said.

Anand said the militant and his accomplice had been taking shelter in a forest for the past month. He added that local residents had provided information about the movement of the suspected militants.

The gunfight took place a day after a militant attack in Srinagar’s Zewan area, in which three police personnel died.