Jammu & Kashmir, May 15 -- Security forces shot dead three local Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants in an encounter in Awantipora sub-district of south Kashmir on Thursday, police said.

They said the gunbattle erupted in the early hours at Nader Tral during a cordon and a search operation, which was launched following an input about militant presence.

"Security forces got a specific input about the movement of three terrorists in the area. Accordingly, a cordon was laid and it led to an encounter in which three terrorists were killed," Inspector General of Police, Vidhi Kumar Birdi, told reporters near the site of the encounter.

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