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Updated: May 28, 2019 21:29 IST

Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Tuesday, police said.

The gunfight started after forces received an input about presence of militants following which a joint party of police, army and CRPF launched a search operation in Kachwan forest of Kokernag in Anantnag.

“During the search operation, the hiding terrorists fired on the search party. The firing was retaliated, leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, 2 terrorists were killed and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter,” a police spokesman said.

The identities and affiliation of the slain militants was being ascertained. “The search in the area continues,” the spokesman said. Incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, was recovered from the site of encounter. The police said that it was a clean operation and no collateral damage took place during the exchange of fire.

Last week on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, security forces killed Kashmir’s most wanted militant commander Zakir Musa, 25, who had formed Al Qaeda affiliate Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind, in south Kashmir. The killing had triggered protests and stone pelting in old city Srinagar and in Pulwama, prompting the administration to suspend mobile internet and impose curfew in parts of Valley for two days. Educational institutions had also been closed.

On Wednesday, two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Four militants were killed on May 18 in two separate encounters in Pulwama and Baramulla districts while on May 16 in two more gunfights, security forces killed five militants in which two army men and two civilians also lost their lives. Post peaceful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections, the frequency of gunfights have increased in Kashmir valley, so has the number of militant deaths since May 10.

There were just four encounters between the security forces and militants between April 11 when Kashmir’s Baramulla voted in the first phase of general elections and May 6 when the polls ended in the Valley. Eight militants were killed in those four encounters. So far, 92 militants have been killed in various encounters with security forces across Kashmir this year.