Blast inside mosque premises wounds 10 in Indian-controlled Kashmir

A blast inside a mosque premises Thursday wounded 10 worshippers in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The blast took place early morning at Trenz village, about 58 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

A police official said blast occurred when worshipers were coming out of the mosque's prayer hall. "Ten people were wounded early morning today in a blast outside mosque in Shopian," a police official posted in Shopian told Xinhua. "The worshipers were coming out of the mosque after offering pre-dawn prayers."

The blast created panic in the area and officials said all the wounded were removed to a local medical facility and the critically wounded were referred to Srinagar hospitals. Locals said the explosive device was kept in a tumbler.

"A tumbler was lying outside the mosque complex and a worshiper tried to pick it, after which it blew up with a bang," said Gulzar Ahmad, a local resident.

Attacks on mosques or religious places in the region is rare.

Police said they have launched an investigation into the incident.

So far no militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the blast.

Meanwhile, police defused a similar device in the area outside residential house belonging to family of a militant commander affiliated with Hizbul Mujahedeen, the region's indigenous militant group.

On Wednesday, a military trooper was wounded after militants attacked a vehicle they were travelling in the area.

Two militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant outfit were killed and an Indian policeman wounded on Tuesday in a gunfight in neighboring Pulwama district, triggering protests. A civilian was killed in the district when Indian border guards fired upon protesters during such a protest Tuesday evening.

A guerrilla war has been going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Endi