One of the terrorists was identified as Auqaaf - an associate of slain Haroon Abbas Wani

Army personnel take positions during an encounter with the militants in a village in Gundana area of Doda district, Sunday, May 17, 2020.

Two terrorists were killed in an encounter in Gundna in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district while a soldier lost his life in the operation on Sunday, police said.

The two terrorists were from the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.

The gun battle between the security forces and terrorists began in the morning.

One of the slain ultras has been identified as Tahir alias Uqaab of Pulwama. He was said to be involved in the killing of RSS leader Chandrakant Sharma in Kishtwar last year.

“On a specific police input, an operation was launched late last night in Doda district. The encounter began in the morning,” police spokesperson and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manoj Sheeri said.

There has been a spurt in terror activities across Jammu and Kashmir amid the coronavirus pandemic. Jammu’s Doda –region comprising Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts which had been declared militancy free - have also witnessed terror attacks and related activities amid the lockdown.

A day after Hizbul Mujahideen’s chief Riyaz Naikoo was killed in Kashmir, security forces on May 7 arrested an overground worker of the outfit from Doda district. He was identified as Raqib Alam, 22, son of Seeraj Din of Swanda village.

Security forces on April 17 eliminated two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, who had hacked a special police officer (SPO) to death with an axe and critically injured another on April 13 in Dachhan area of Kishtwar district.

Meanwhile, Pakistan violated ceasefire in Malti and Digwar areas of Poonch district on Sunday morning prompting Indian Army to retaliate in equal measure.