Two suspected militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Tuesday, the police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Anantnag’s Waghama area after receiving information about the presence of militants, an unidentified police officer was quoted as saying by PTI. The gunfight broke out as the suspected militants shot at security forces and they retaliated.

A third suspected militant, believed to have killed a Central Reserve Police Force soldier and a child in the district’s Bijbehara area last week, escaped, according to NDTV. “Two terrorists have been killed but Zahid Dass has managed to escape,” a senior police officer told the news channel. “The encounter took place in orchard area.”

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On June 26, the police had released Dass’ photo and said that they had filed a first information report against him after the Bijbehara gunfight.

The CRPF soldier and the four-year-old boy were killed on June 26 after suspected militants fired at a security forces party in Bijbehara. The attack came two days after another CRPF soldier was killed in a gunfight with suspected militants in Pulwama. Two suspected militants had also died in the gunfight. Earlier that day, three militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Chewa Ular area of Tral.

Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh had said on June 19 that over 100 militants have been killed by security forces in the region this year.