Security forces on Thursday shot dead three Jaish-e-Mohammad militants in an encounter in Awantipora sub-district of south Kashmir, bringing the reported number of listed local militants in the Valley to an all-time low of eight.

Three local Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants were killed in a gunfight in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday.

Police said a gun battle erupted early Thursday at Nader Tral during a cordon-and-search operation launched following an input on militant presence.

A police officer said three militants were killed in Thursday’s gunfight and a combing operation was underway in the area.

The police identified the three militants as Asif Ahmad Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani and Yawar Ahmad Bhat.

Last month, immediately after the Pahalgam attack, central intelligence agencies had put the number of active local militants in Kashmir at 14 — eight from the LeT and three each from the Jaish and the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Six militants have since been killed, three each from the Lashkar and the Jaish. Police intelligence suggests the number of listed local militants has dropped to six. The number of foreign militants operating in the region, however, is around 40, they added.

Police and central intelligence figures do not take into account the number of “hybrid militants” who are disguised as civilians.

Despite the falling numbers, the Valley has witnessed a series of major attacks since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

On Tuesday, three local militants affiliated to the Lashkar — Shahid Kuttay, Adnan Shafi Dar and Ehsan-ul-Haq Sheikh, all residents of Shopian — were killed in an encounter in the upper reaches of Keller. According to officials, Kuttay was the operational commander of the LeT in south Kashmir.