Three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed by security forces in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district in Kashmir on Friday. An Army jawan was also injured in the 36-hour gunfight that had started on Wednesday night.

“Three holed-up terrorists eliminated; bodies of two terrorists and three weapons recovered,” the Army’s Northern Command said. A police official told PTI that the militants killed were from Kulgam and Anantnag districts. “The bodies have been handed over to their relatives for last rites,” he added. The encounter began after the security forces acted on a tip-off about the presence of the militants and cordoned off the area.

A 24-year-old civilian was also killed after he was hit by a “stray bullet” near the site of the encounter, reported PTI. Although the police said Arif Shah was killed accidentally when security forces were trying to quell a group indulging in stone-pelting, the protesters alleged that the security personnel killed Shah during a clash. Mobile phone and internet services have been suspended in Anantnag and Kulgam districts, reported IANS.