Eight security personnel have been killed while five were injured in an encounter with militants today in Pulwama's district police lines in Jammu and Kashmir.

The martyred security personnel include four policemen and 4 CRPF jawans. Two of the four CRPF personnel include Jaswant Singh and Dhanawade Ravinder. Two CRPF personnel have received bullet injuries.

Three terrorists have also been killed in the encounter that is still underway. The bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) who were reported missing earlier have also been recovered.

The militants launched the attack on a guard-post upon entering the town's district police lines at around 3.40 am, the police said. They used grenades and gunfire.

Several families were evacuated from the vicinity of the incident. The evacuation is still on through a helicopter.

SECURITY SITUATION REVIEWED

In a statement, issued after Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the security situation in the state, the ministry said the terrorists had been cornered in a set of government quarters and action to flush them out was in process. "The exact number of terrorists is still not known and the two SPOs of Jammu and Kashmir are trapped in the building where the terrorists have been cornered," it said.

The meeting, attended by NSA Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and others, reviewed the ongoing encounter in Pulwama.

The home secretary said there were two SPOs on the sport but their fate is not known immediately. "Two SPOs were there. We are not sure whether they are safe. Some danger to their lives still exists," he said.

The home minister expressed profound sorrow over the death of a constable of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and two personnel of the CRPF and expressed condolences to the families.

Militants launched a major pre-dawn attack on a district police complex, triggering a massive gunfight in which one of them died while three others were still holed up after nearly 12 hours.

The compound houses many residential buildings.

(With inputs from agencies)

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