A Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and three suspected militants were killed in two separate gunfights with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama and Kulgam districts on Saturday, the police said.

“LeT’s top commander Zahid Nazir Bhat killed in today’s encounter in Pulwama,” the Kashmir Zone Police tweeted. “A big success for Police and security forces.”

The gunfight took place in Pulwama’s Dadoora area. The police said that they recovered two AK-47 rifles from the site.

The militants killed in Kulgam belonged to the Jaish-e-Mohammed group, according to PTI. They were identified as Tariq Ahmad Mir and Sameer Bhai, who was a Pakistani national.

Security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in Chingam area of Kulgam district late on Friday after receiving inputs about the presence of militants there, PTI reported, citing an unidentified police official. The official added that search operation turned into a gunfight after militants fired upon the security forces.

“As per the police records, both the killed terrorists were part of groups responsible for carrying out terrorist attacks,” the official added. “They were involved in many terror crimes and civilian atrocities, including killing of police official Khursid Ahmad at Furah Mirbazzar and attack on sarpanch Aarif Ahmad at Akhran Mirbazzar in which he was critically injured.”

An Army official said an M4 rifle and a pistol were recovered from the site of the encounter.

On Wednesday, security forces killed three militants in the Sugan Zainapora area of Shopian district. Three more militants were killed in the Pampore area of Pulwama district on Monday. Two Central Reserve Police Force also died in the gunfight.

Two militants were killed on September 27 in a gunfight with security forces in Samboora village of Pampore in Pulwama district. Two army personnel had sustained injuries in the gunfight. Two Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders were killed in a night-long encounter on September 25 in Anantnag district.

On September 24, an unidentified militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces in the district. The security forces had killed another militant in an overnight encounter in the Charar-e-Sharif area of September 23 Budgam district on Tuesday.

Three suspected militants were killed on September 17 in an encounter with security forces in Srinagar’s Batamaloo area. A civilian was also killed in the crossfire and a CRPF personnel had sustained injuries, the armed forces said in a statement.

On August 29, three suspected militants and one soldier were killed in a gunfight in the Zadoora area of Pulwama district.