Union minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday reacted sharply to the terror attack in Pulwama and said that terrorists will be taught an "unforgettable lesson" for the heinous act.

At least 12 CRPF personnel were killed in the explosion in Awantipora area of Kashmir this afternoon, in one of the deadliest terror attacks on security forces in the valley in over a decade.

The minister without portfolio took to Twitter and said, "Attack on CRPF in #Pulwama, J&K is a cowardice & condemnable act of terrorists. Nation salutes martyred soldiers and we all stand united with families of martyrs. We pray for speedy recovery of the injured. Terrorists will be given unforgettable lesson for their heinous act."

The attack took place at around 3.15 pm when CRPF convoy was moving from Jammu to Srinagar, they said. The convoy comprised around 70 buses in which around 2500 personnel were travelling, according to Home Ministry sources in Delhi.

The toll is likely to go up, the sources said.

This might be the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir since 2004 when 28 BSF personnel were killed in an attack.

Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a local news agency.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)