Police in Kashmir have said that a top Jaish-e-Mohammed commander from Pakistan responsible for a car blast last month that claimed the lives of two army jawans, was killed on Saturday in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district.

Munna Lahori, a Pakistan national, was also responsible for a series of civilian killings in Kashmir, a police officer said. A second militant, identified as Mir Zeenat-Ul-Islam of Turkawanghom in Shopian, who belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen, was also killed, the police said.

Lahori, also known as Bihari, had been used by Jaish to recruit militants in the Kashmir valley, the police officer said.

Lahori was responsible for a car blast attack on a security forces' convoy on March 30 at Banihal and 'a fatal car blast on an army vehicle at Arihal in Pulwahma on June 17, in which two soldiers were killed and nine, including two civilians, were injured', the officer said.

He said Zeenat-Ul-Islam was part of groups involved in terror crimes. Several cases were registered against him, including a case pertaining to abduction and killing of civilian Irfan Hameed of Zainapora.

The security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation in a neighbourhood in Shopian on Friday night, following a tip-off about presence of militants there.

The search became an encounter after the militants opened fire, leading to their killing, the officer said.