Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Awantipora town of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Tuesday, the Kashmir Zone Police said. They were identified as Ufaid Lone and Abaas Bhatt of the Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The police said the operation was carried out in the Kawni village of Awantipora based on specific intelligence. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered, and both the militants were involved in “heinous acts of terrorism” and civilian atrocities, the police added.

Earlier in September, the Indian Army had warned that the Pakistan Army had stepped up attempts to push as many terrorists as possible into Jammu and Kashmir. The region has been under lockdown since August 5, when India abolished the special status for the state under Article 370 of the Constitution. Restrictions are slowly being eased in the Valley.

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