Three top militants of Hizbul Mujaheedin were killed in a daylong fierce gunfight with security forces in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A defence spokesman in Jammu said that Rashtriya Rifles troops and the local police jointly surrounded a forest area in the upper reaches of Banihal in the Ramban district on Tuesday morning after receiving

a tip off of the presence of militants there.

"As the troops were busy searching the forest area, the militants opened fire triggering a gunfight with the security forces. At the end of the encounter three militants of Hizbul Mujaheedin including district commander Qari Zubair were killed," the spokesman said.

He said troops were still busy searching the area.