A day after five security forces personnel were killed in a counter-terror operation, three CRPF personnel were killed in a militant attack on Monday. The attack took place in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The attackers opened fire on a CPRF Naka party at Wangam-Qaziabad in Kralgund area of the district, they said. Three CRPF jawans were killed on the spot, they said.

The area has been cordoned off and additional forces rushed there to track down the assailants, the officials said, adding further details are awaited.

A Colonel and a Major were among five security personnel killed in an encounter at a village in north Kashmir's Handwara area, officials said on Sunday.

Two terrorists were also killed in the encounter at the Chanjmulla area of Handwara, which is part of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, they said. The Army officers were leading a team to rescue civilians who had been taken hostage by the terrorists, the officials said.

Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, Commanding Officer of 21 Rashtriya Rifles unit lost his life in the encounter along with Major Anuj Sood. He had been part of several successful counter-terrorism operations in the past.