Four militants affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Thursday, the police said.

The militants were active in Shopian and Pulwama districts, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) Vijay Kumar said.

“They were involved in six terror crimes including attacks on outside labourers,” Kumar added. “Hunt for their associates like Aijaz of Pulwama is on and they will be neutralised soon.”

Officials identified the militants as Aaqib Farooq Thoker, Waseem Ahmed Thoker, Farooq Ahmad Bhat and Shoqeen Ahmad Mir, reported PTI.

Officials said that Aaqib Farooq Thoker had snatched a rifle from a Jammu and Kashmir Bank guard in Pulwama’s Murran.

An official told PTI that the gunfight broke out in the Zainapora area of Shopian after security forces launched a search operation upon receiving information about the presence of militants.

The militants fired at the security forces, which led to the gunfight, he added.

Meanwhile, Colonel Emron Musavi, the defence public relations officer, said that three Indian Army personnel were killed and five others injured when their vehicle met with an accident while on its way to the site of the gunfight.

“Owing to the wet road conditions, the driver seemingly lost control over the vehicle and it skidded off the road,” Musavi said. “The eight injured soldiers were shifted to district hospital [in] Shopian, where two among them were declared dead.”

He said that one of them, who was referred to a Srinagar hospital, had succumbed to his injuries. Another soldier who sustained minor injuries has been discharged while four others are being treated at the Srinagar hospital, Musavi added.