At least one terrorist is believed to have taken refuge in a mosque in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian on Friday, after an overnight encounter with security forces, even as two ultras were gunned down in Pulwama district's Tral region.

Seven militants, including terror outfit Ansar Ghazwatul Hind chief Imtiaz Ahmad Shah, were gunned down by security forces in two encounters in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian and Pulwama districts, police said on Friday. “Five terrorists have been killed in a Shopian operation, while two others were killed in the encounter at Nowbugh in Tral area of Pulwama district,” a police official said.

Earlier, the Kashmir Zone Police had said that efforts were being made to get two militants hiding inside a mosque in Shopian after an overnight encounter to surrender. “Brother of holed up #terrorist & local Imamsahab sent inside mosque to persuade the #terrorists to come out & #surrender. Efforts are on to save the mosque,” the police said in a tweet.

The police had earlier tweeted about the Ansar Ghazwatul Hind chief trapped inside the mosque. “Chief of proscribed #terrorist outfit AGuH (JeM) trapped,” the tweet said. The encounter in Shopian town broke out on Thursday evening. Giving an update about the operation the same night, police said three militants had been killed and four security forces personnel injured.

In a separate encounter in Tral area of Pulwama on Friday morning, security personnel gunned down two unidentified militants, the police added.