Indian police confirmed on Sunday that a top militant commander was killed by security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Saifullah Mir was commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, the oldest and largest militant group operating in the Kashmir region. He was killed in a gun battle, Indian police said.

"It is a major success for the security forces' fight against militancy in the region," Inspector-General of Police Vijay Kumar said.

Mir had succeeded Riyaz Naikoo as commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen in May, after Nikoo died in a gun battle with Indian security forces.

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Acting on intelligence indicating the presence of Mir in a neighborhood on the outskirts of regional capital Srinagar, security forces cordoned off the area and begun the search operation, Kumar said.

During the search, the members of the security forces were fired upon, which prompted them to retaliate, as a major gun battle that involved Mir unfolded.

His death takes the number of militants killed in the Muslim-majority region so far this year by Indian troops to 190, Kumar confirmed.

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Since August 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government reorganized the state of Jammu and Kashmir, splitting it into federally-administered territories, promising better governance.

The region has seen a separatist insurgency since the 1980s, where tens of thousands of people have been killed. India claims that Pakistan supports Kashmiri militants, a charge Islamabad has denied.

jcg/rc (dpa, Reuters)