Srinagar, March 10 : Security forces shot dead two militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba in an encounter in Kashmir on Thursday, officials said. The encounter started this morning at Naina Batpora village in Pulwama district of south Kashmir after joint forces of Police, Army and Central Reserve Police Force launched a cordon-and-search operation against the militants. “As the security forces came closer, the hiding militants opened fire, triggering an encounter. In the gunfight two terrorists were killed,” they said. While the identities of the slain could not be established immediately, police said both the slain were affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Toiba. Earlier, after the killing of one militant in the encounter, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said security forces took every precaution to ensure no damage to a mosque. “Two terrorists were holed up in a structure separate from the mosque. We have taken every precaution to ensure that no damage happens to the mosque,” Kumar said. The encounter in Pulwama took place a day after a Sarpanch Sameer Ahmad Bhat was shot dead on Srinagar outskirts at Khanmoh. MJR GK