An encounter broke out between three holed up Jaish-e-Mohammad militants and security forces in Malroo area on the outskirts of Srinagar city on Thursday, officials said.
Police and troops of 2 Rashtriya Rifles cordoned off Malroo locality, 15 kms from here, in the wee hours following a tip-off about the presence of at least three militants in one of the houses in the area, they said.
The ultras opened fire on the security forces when they were zeroing in on the target house, belonging to a property dealer Abdul Rashid Bhat.
The troops retaliated following which a gun battle ensued, they said. As the house is located in a populated area, the security forces announced a halt in hostilities and send a group of locals to persuade the militants to surrender, they said.
However, the ultras refused the offer. The security forces are evacuating all the civilians from the vicinity before they launch an assault to flush out the militants, they said.