Srinagar: The terrorist who was neutralized by the security forces on Thursday has been identified. The attacker belonged to Masood Azhar-led terror outfit Jaish-E-Mohammed.  Reports say the slain terrorist was identified as Anwar, a native of Pakistan.

Security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Kralgund area of Handwara in the north Kashmir district late Wednesday night following information about the presence of some terrorists in the area, a police official said.

He said the cordon was maintained during the night and contact was established with them in the morning after the forces zeroed in on the location.

There was an exchange of firing between the two sides, in which one terrorist was killed, the official said. Incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site of the encounter, he added.

Tensions between India and Pakistan had recently escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The action was prompted after Jaish had claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.

Last month, the US, the UK and France made a fresh bid at the UN to ban JeM head Masood Azhar, who is also residing in Pakistan as per Pakistani foreign minister's admission. JeM is already a UN-designated terrorist organisation.

On Sunday, a Pakistani media report claimed that India's most wanted terrorist Masood Azhar is "alive". The report came amid speculation on social media that JeM founder has died. Azhar is a resident of Bahawalpur in Pakistan's Punjab province. He formed the Jaish-e-Mohammed in 2000.The 50-year-old who has unleashed terror and bloodshed in the Valley, was released by the NDA government in 1999 in exchange of hostages of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane IC-814. He is also believed to have been the mastermind of the 2001 Parliament attack, suicide attack on Jammu and Kashmir state assembly, attack on Pathankot IAF base in 2016 and the latest Pulwama terror strike on February 14, 2019.

(With additional information from PTI)