SRINAGAR: Two terrorists were killed in an anti-insurgency operation in south Kashmir’s Kokernag area on Tuesday. One of them was a BTech passout from J&K’s Anantnag district while another was from Pakistan, police said.

Security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation in Kokernag’s Kachwan area early on Tuesday when holed-up terrorists opened fire at the search party. In the ensuing gunfight, two terrorists were killed, said police. A massive search operation is on in the region.

One of the slain terrorists was identified as Faisal Nazir, a resident of Naibasti locality in Anantnag’s Qazigund area. A BTech, Faisal had joined the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit only 45 days ago. The other terrorist was from Pakistan, said cops.

The bodies of the duo were kept at the district police lines in Khanabal area, which witnessed massive protests as sympathisers clashed with security forces. Hundreds of youths took to the streets in Anantnag after the news of Faisal’s killing spread. Besides Khanabal, clashes broke out in Naibasti — Faisal’s neighbourhood — and other adjoining areas, with demonstrators demanding the bodies of the slain terrorists, sources said.

A spontaneous shutdown was observed in Anantnag while authorities snapped internet connectivity in the district in view of the security situation.