Three suspected militants and a policeman were killed in two separate gunfights in Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmir Zone Police said on Friday.

The suspected militants were killed in a gunfight in Shopian’s Badigam area, the police said. The gunfight began on Thursday night after the militants opened fire at a joint team comprising the police, the Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force, The Hindu reported.

Kashmir Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said that two AK rifles and one pistol were recovered from the site. Kumar added that the militants belonged to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to ANI.

The authorities suspended internet services in Shopian as a precautionary measure.

In Budgam’s Beerwah area, Special Police Officer Mohammad Altaf succumbed to his injuries after a gunfight broke out with suspected militants. Another policeman, Manzoor Ahmad, is being treated at a hospital.

The police and the Army had launched an operation in the area after receiving inputs about the presence of militants, one of whom, they said, was from Lashkar-e-Taiba.

“We’d received information last night [Thursday] that a foreign terrorist, Yusuf [who is an] LeT [Lashkar-e-Taiba] Commander, and another militant are holed up in a house,” Kumar said. “We launched cordon with Army’s help. The CRPF reached too. In the morning we came to know that they escaped but are injured.”

The police then brought a dog squad that traced the trail of blood of the injured militants and led them to a village 2 kms away, Kumar added. “We have cordoned it, a search is underway,” he said.

Meanwhile, unidentified persons fired bullets on security forces in Baghat Barzulla area of Srinagar on Friday afternoon. More details are awaited.