A fierce gunbattle raging between terrorists and Indian security forces in the mountainous forested area of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir since Thursday has claimed the life of a police official, taking to seven the deaths so far, an official said Saturday.

Top commanders of the Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfits are reported to be present in hideouts in the area.