A senior police officer said troops of counter insurgency Rashtriya Rifles and special operations group surrounded Buchru village in Kulgam district on Sunday evening.
“The search operation was launched on specific information about presence of a group of militants inside a house in the village,” the officer said.
“As the security forces challenged the hiding militants, they opened fire triggering an encounter, which is on,” he added.
More reinforcements have been rushed to the village to strengthen the cordon.
Senior army and police officers are supervising the operation.