A self-styled district commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen [Images] was killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir [Images]  on Wednesday afternoon, official sources said.

"Abdul Rashid alias "Majid", one of the most wanted militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen in south Kashmir, was killed in a nearly five-hour-long gunbattle with the Special Operations Group of the local police and Rashtriya Rifles at Nayan-Batpora village, the sources said.

The encounter broke out at around 0700 hrs when a police party assisted by troops of the Rashtriya Rifles raided a house adjacent to a school in the village following specific information about the presence of a top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist there, they said.

The joint search party asked the hiding militant to surrender but he opened fire and in the ensuing encounter, the self-styled district commander was killed, they said.

 His half-burnt body along with some arms and ammunition was recovered from the debris of the house which was gutted during the gunfight.

Terming the killing of the top militant as a "major breakthrough", the sources said Rashid was evading arrest for the last several years and was wanted in a number of militancy-related incidents.