A newly recruited local militant of Hizbul Mujahideen was gunned down in an overnight encounter with security forces that also resulted in the death of an unidentified person in the ensuing crossfire in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, security officials said on Friday.
The encounter broke late last night at Kanibal in Bijbehara of Anantnag district, 55 kms from here, when the police along with Army and CRPF cordoned off a village following an intelligence input about the presence of militants, they said.
During the encounter, which lasted for two hours, one militant identified as Yawar, hailing from Anantnag, was killed while two other militants managed to escape under the cover of darkness, they said, adding that an Army jawan also sustained bullet injury but was stated to be stable.
Yawar, who was allegedly a "chronic stone pelter", had joined the militant outfit last month, they said, adding that a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) looted earlier from a police guard was recovered from him.