Guwahati, Dec 18 (IANS): Security forces Thursday killed two cadres of a Meghalaya-based militant outfit in a gun battle in Assam's Goalpara district, close to the inter-state border, police said.

The joint operation by police and Red Horns division of the army against the United A'chik Liberation Army (UALA) was launched early Thursday morning.

"We cordoned Kongkhal village in Golapara following information that militants were hiding there. When we asked them to surrender, they fired at us and we retaliated. In the gun battle, two militants were killed," said a police official in Goalpara.

Two 7.65 mm pistols, two hand grenades and a large cache of ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.

The UALA is a breakaway faction of the A'chik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) which recently laid down arms in front of the Meghalaya government.

The UALA was responsible for killing seven Rabha tribal villagers in Goalpara in November last year.

Assam Police has alerted security forces deployed across the state after intelligence inputs said militants may try to carry out subversive activities in the run-up to the Republic Day celebrations.