Srinagar, May 3: Three militants were gunned down by a joint team of forces early on Friday. The encounter was reported in Shopian, a hub of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir. One among the deceased have been identified as Hizbul Mujahideen's Lateef Tiger, who was the final survivor of the Burhan Wani gang operating in Jammu & Kashmir.

The second deceased has been identified as Mufti Wakas alias Tariq Maulvi, who was considered to be one of the topmost Hizbul commanders operating in South Kashmir region. The identity of the third was yet to be confirmed.

Their neutralisation comes a week after the Army gunned down Hizbul militants Safdar Amin Bhat (25) and Burhan Ahmad Ganie (25) in Anantnag district.

Update by ANI:

The spree of encounters in Kashmir is being reported amid the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in the Valley. The parliamentary seat of Anantnag -- where polling for one constituency is being held in three phases -- will cast the final round of votes on May 6.

The elimination of Lateef Tiger in today's encounter, claim security analysts, will serve as a major booster for the forces to maintain peace in the Valley.

The encounter was initiated after a joint team of 34 Rashtriya Rifles and Jammu & Kashmir's Special Operations Group (SOG) launched a search operation Imam Sahib area of Shopian.

In the gunfight which ensued with the militants, both Tiger and Wakas were killed, whereas, no casualties were incurred by the security team.

Tiger was the final member of Burhan Wani gang -- group of 11 militants who had turned into the poster boy of militancy in South Kashmir. Even though the group was affiliated to Hizbul, they grew distinctly popular due to their use of social media to drive insurgency propaganda.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 03, 2019 12:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).