Two unidentified militants killed in J&K's Shopian

Two unidentified militants were killed in an ongoing encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Shopian district on Monday.

The gun battle erupted in Zeipora Mantribugh area of Shopian, 56 km from Srinagar, after a joint team of army and Jammu and Kashmir police launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in the area following specific information about the presence of militants there, reports said.

A police official said the militants turned down repeated surrender offers given to them by the security forces.

"As the joint team approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which was retaliated, triggering an encounter," he said, adding that two ultras were killed in the gun fight.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain ultras were not known immediately.

As a precautionary measure, the internet services were snapped in Shopian district, reports said.

Pertinently, 38 militants have been killed so far in Jammu and Kashmir this year and most of them belonged to the volatile Shopian district.