NEW DELHI: An Army colonel, a major and a deputy superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir police were killed in a gunfight with terrorists in Kokernag area of Kashmir's Anantnag district, officials said on Wednesday.Senior army and police officers, GoC 15 Corps Lt General Rajiv Ghai and including DGP Dilbag Singh have rushed to the spot to assess the situation.A search operation is being carried out in the area.The operation against the terrorists had begun on Tuesday evening in Gadole area but was called off during the night.

This morning, the hunt for the terrorists resumed after information started trickling in that they were spotted at a hideout, the officials said.Colonel Manpreet Singh, Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles; Major Ashish Dhonack, and Deputy Superintendent Humayun Bhat were critically injured in the gunfight with terrorists that ensued in the Garol area of Anantnag district in the morning hours of Wednesday.The Army colonel, leading his team from the front, attacked the terrorists.

However, the terrorists fired upon him and he was critically injured, said officials.Dhonack and Bhat also received bullet injuries, the officials said.The three later died in hospital during treatment.Bhat, father of a two-month-old daughter and son of retired Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Ghulam Hasan Bhat, died due to heavy blood loss.The banned Resistance Front, believed to be a shadow group of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack.Officials believe that it is the same set of terrorists who had carried out the attack on army personnel on August 4 killing three jawans in the higher reaches of the Halan forest area of Kulgam district.Meanwhile, two terrorists were killed by security forces during an encounter that began in the Narla area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri on Tuesday.Security forces have recovered a large quantity of warlike stores, including medicines, with Pakistan markings during a search amid the encounter that continued on Wednesday evening according to officials.WatchJ-K: Two terrorists were shot dead by security forces during an encounter in Rajouri