Srinagar, May 6 (IANS): The Inspector General of Police for Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar, on Friday termed the operation on the Amarnath Yatra route that resulted in the elimination of three terrorists, including one of the oldest surviving Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) members, as a big success.

"Ashraf Molvi, one of the oldest surviving terrorists belonging to HM, along with two other terrorists have been killed. The successful operation on the Yatra route is a major success for us," J&K Police tweeted quoting Kumar.

Three terrorists were killed in an encounter between militants and security forces at Pahalgam area in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Friday.

The firefight took place after a joint team of the police and the security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about the presence of terrorists there.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where the terrorists were hiding, they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.