Security forces had a tough time on Tuesday in Sopore town of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir when groups of youths took to the streets and indulged in stone-pelting to protest the killing of two local militants, official sources said.

Small groups of youths appeared in Sopore, 55 km from Srinagar, on Tuesday morning and indulged in stone-pelting in an abortive attempt to enforce a strike to protest the killing of two hardcore militants of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba outfit, the sources said.

However, they were chased away by police and paramilitary forces, deployed in strength in the township to maintain law and order, they said.

Showkat Ahmad Najjar alias Munna Janwaari and Ghulam Nabi Khurro alias Haji were killed in an exchange of fire with a joint search party of police and security forces in Sopore on Monday.

Hailing from Batpora and Chinkipora localities of the town, the two were most wanted militants of north Kashmir and their killing was described by police as a major breakthrough.

The militants were involved in a large number of militancy-related incidents, including the brutal murder of a dental surgeon of Handwara, Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, last year, a police spokesman said.

The stone-pelting by the agitated youths occurred several times during the day but each time their attempt to block the movement of traffic was thwarted by the police.

Barring brief interruptions, traffic plied normally on Srinagar-Sopore-Kupwara and Srinagar-Sopore- Bandipora roads, the sources said, adding that

most of the shops in the town were closed on account of Eid festivities.