Srinagar/UNI:  Security forces shot dead two local terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba in a gun battle in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday.

Police said one of the slain was allegedly behind the Killing of a Kashmiri Pandit earlier this year.

Kashmiri Pandit Sanjay Sharma, who worked as an ATM guard, was shot dead by suspected terrorists in the Achan area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 26.

Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the LeT militants identified as Morifat Maqbool and Jazim Farooq alias Abrar were shot dead in Shopian gunfight today and one of them was behind the killing of Sharma.

"Terrorist Jazim Farooq alias Abrar was involved in killing of Kashmiri Pandit late Sanjay Sharma," ADGP Kumar said.

Srinagar based defence spokesman, Lt Col M K Sahu said the operation was launched on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

“On receipt of intelligence inputs from agencies about the presence of two unidentified terrorists, a joint search operation was launched by the Indian Army and Police. The area was cordoned by the security forces to carry out a search.

At around 1 am the terrorists opened fire on the security forces which resulted in a fire fight. Two terrorists were neutralised during the operations,” the spokesman said.

Two AK series rifles, one pistol and other war like stores were recovered from the encounter site.

“The high level of synergy between security forces and intelligence agencies has once again proved to be very effective in elimination of terrorists in the hinterland,” Lt Col Sahu said.

The defence spokesman said the gun battle has once again brought to fore the nefarious designs of Pakistan in supporting terrorists and trying to disrupt peace and development in Kashmir.