Srinagar, May 16 (IANS): A gunfight broke out between militants and security forces on Thursday in the forests of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.

Police said troops of Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the police surrounded the Kandi forest area after receiving information about the presence of a group of militants there.

"As the cordon around the hiding militants was tightened, they fired at the security forces, triggering an encounter which is going on," a police officer said.

In an earlier gunfight in Pulwama district, five persons including Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants, a soldier and a civilian were killed while three others including two soldiers and a civilian were injured.

The slain militants included a top commander of JeM identified as Khalid Bhai. Police said he was a Pakistani who had masterminded the militant attack on the Lethpora CRPF camp in 2017 in which five CRPF troopers were killed.