SRINAGAR: Security forces gunned down two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in an encounter that lasted over 12 hours at Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Thursday.According to a police source, security forces had launched a combing operation at Brath Kalan, based on specific intelligence inputs, on Wednesday evening when the terrorists fired on them, triggering an encounter. A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the site.The bodies have been retrieved and the terrorists identified as Owais Ahmad Bhat alias Abu Bakar and Tahir Ahmad Dar alias Abu Abdullah, both residents of the district. Owais, an information technology student, had left home around a month ago and joined LeT.Police said Owais and Tahir were wanted for their complicity in several terror attacks, including on security establishments and civilians.As soon as the news of the encounter spread, clashes erupted in several parts of Sopore. Security forces dispersed the crowd but thousands of people turned up for the funeral prayers of the slain terrorists. The entire town witnessed a virtual shutdown, with all shops and business establishments remaining shut.