Jammu | Two Village Defence Guards were shot dead by terrorists in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Thursday, officials said.

Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar, both residents of Ohli-Kuntwara, had gone to graze their cattle in Munzla Dhar forest in the Adhwari area, the officials said.

They said police parties fanned out after the pair of Village Defence Guards (VDGs) failed to return to their homes in the evening.

Kashmir Tigers, an offshoot of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, has claimed responsibility for the killings.

Reacting to the killings, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said, "We are firmly resolved to destroying all terror outfits and avenging this barbaric act."