SRINAGAR, Oct 19: Ten people were killed and 18 injured in a spate of violent incidents in occupied Kashmir on Saturday, police and security sources said.

One explosion in the northern area killed one and injured 15, including seven Border Security Force members, a BSF spokesman said.

Indian security forces, meanwhile, shot dead four Kashmiri fighters in the Chingus area of southern Rajouri district on Saturday, police said, while five more people died elsewhere.

An Indian army spokesman said the militants belonged to the Tehreek-ul-Jehad-i-Islami.

Saturday’s encounter is the third near the LoC since India and Pakistan announced on Thursday they would be reducing their troop deployments along their borders.

The first blast occurred in Sopore, 50kms north of Srinagar.

The spokesman said the blast was caused when an improvised explosive device, fitted to a cooking-gas cylinder, was set off by suspected Kashmiri fighters.

The dead man was identified as Riyaz Ahmed, a constable who was on his way home in the town of Bandipora from Srinagar to spend the weekend with his family.

“Seven of our men are critically injured, and one of the vehicles they were travelling in is also damaged,” the spokesman said.

The explosion also damaged some shops and sparked a minor fire.

At least four injured civilians were being shifted to Srinagar’s main hospital, the spokesman said.

A security force personnel was also killed in a the ambush in Udhampur district on Saturday, while three civilians were injured in a grenade explosion near a bus stand in the Gool village of same district.

In the neighbouring district of Doda, a Muslim civilian died when he strayed into crossfire between militants and the security forces.

In two more districts of Baramulla and Pulwama, police said suspected Kashmiris shot dead two civilians and a police constable overnight and Saturday.—AFP