A search operation turned into encounter.

Three militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday, police said.

A cordon and search operation was launched in Kangan area of the south Kashmir district in the morning following information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

The search turned into an encounter as militants opened fire towards the forces, who retaliated, according to the official.

Three militants were killed in the gunfight. The identity and group affiliation of the slain ultras are being ascertained, the official said.

Incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, have been recovered from the site of the encounter, he added.