Two militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM) outfit were today killed in a day-long gunbattle with security forces in Malroo locality on the outskirts of Srinagar city.

The militants were killed after the security forces blasted two houses, where the two and their accomplice were believed to be hiding since last night. Two bodies have been recovered, police said.

According to police, security forces had information about the presence of three hardcore JeM militants in a house belonging to a property dealer in the locality, 15 kms from here.

As the gunbattle broke out between the two sides, one of the militants had jumped out of the house of the property dealer and taken shelter in the neighbouring house, police said.

Two Policemen and a young girl were injured by stray bullets at nearby Goripora and Shalteng localities while another girl fell from the first floor of her house and suffered head injury, the sources said.

SSP Srinagar Ashiq Bukhari told reporters that the encounter has ended but the search operation for the third militant was going on.

He said the militants were coming towards Srinagar city from Bandipora district and they were being tailed by the security forces since yesterday.

Bukhari confirmed that one suspected person was detained for questioning before the encounter began.

Earlier, several explosions were heard as security forces launched an assault to flush out the militants.

The two sides exchanged heavy volume of firing soon after security forces evacuated civilians including large number of women and children to safety from the houses in the vicinity of the building where the militants were taking shelter, they said.