A day after three Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists were gunned down in an encounter in Pulwama, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday called the killing "a big achievement for India".

On Monday, three terrorists, including the mastermind of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, were gunned down by security forces in an encounter in South Kashmir's Pinglena village.

"This is all because of our determined security forces in the Indian Army and it comes as a big achievement for all of India and us," the Union minister told ANI.

Days after one of the ghastly terror attacks in Pulwama's Awantipora area, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel, on Monday, the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Pinglena after it received credible inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area.

Last week, Rajnath Singh in Odisha had reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark on the Pulwama terror attack that "the sacrifice made by 40 CRPF in the recent Pulwama attack will not go in vain."

"The Army has been given a free hand to punish the perpetrators," the Union minister added.

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