Soldiers on Wednesday shot dead the third militant, who had taken shelter in a mess quarter, involved in the encounter at Akhnoor, about 25km from Jammu, official sources said.

The militant had managed to evade security forces on October 27, the day he and his accomplices were sighted by security forces. He resurfaced on Tuesday evening and entered a three-storied building housing a mess after killing two girls and injuring seven others. One of the injured, a woman, later succumbed to injuries.

Soldiers evacuated all employees from adjoining quarters and then launched an operation to eliminate the militant

With inputs from Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar