Indian security forces gunned down a top militant commander in Indian controlled Kashmir after a prolonged encounter on Tuesday.
Gun battle broke out when army and police launched a joint search operation in Kupwara district following an intelligence input about the presence of the militant in the area.
The militant opened fire on security forces as they zeroed in on a house where he was suspected to be hiding, leading to heavy exchange of fire.
Brigadier Rajeev Puri of Indian army's Rashtriya Rifles said the militant belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen, Pakistan-based group.
Violence in Kashmir has spiked against a backdrop of rising social tension and separatist sentiment in the Muslim-majority region, which for decades has been at the centre of a strategic tussle between India and Pakistan.
Militants killed eight paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force personnel and injured 20 others when they targeted a security convoy in Pampore town of the state