The army on Monday claimed to have killed one of the oldest surviving militants in Jammu’s Pir Panchal region, describing him as the most dreaded militant in a decade.

The apparent breakthrough has come after security forces suffered heavy casualties this year in the region, which includes two border districts of Poonch and Rajouri.

The army said a joint operation with police was launched early on Monday on the LoC during which two infiltrating militants were engaged.

“One terrorist fell down immediately, while the second terrorist tried to run back to the LoC. He was engaged and hit and was seen falling down near the LoC,” a defence spokesman said.

The army confirmed the death of the first militant, while they were not sure about the second. They identified the dead militant as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen divisional commander Muneer Hussain, a resident of Bagyladra in Poonch. He was infiltrating this side of the LoC in Poonch.

“In 1993 he went to PoK, came back in 1996 and again returned to PoK in 1998. He has masterminded a number of attacks on security forces,” Lt Col Suneel Bartwal, defence spokesman in Jammu, said in a statement.

“Muneer Hussain was the seniormost leader of HM. He is the most dreaded terrorist killed in the last 10 years in Rajouri/Poonch,” he said.