Blast in Pulwama: At least 18 CRPF jawans killed in IED attack in J&K

A bomb blast killed at least 18 Indian paramilitary police in India-controlled Kashmir on Thursday, police said, a day after an explosion killed a dozen school children in the state.

The Indian-ruled part of Kashmir has been plagued by violence for years, with clashes between security forces and militants killing more than 100 civilians over the past year. Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) took responsibility for the attack, according to local news agency GNS.

The explosion was heard from several miles away. Mohammad Yunis, a journalist who reached the site minutes after the explosion, told Reuters he saw blood and body parts scattered along a 100-metre stretch on the highway. Kashmir's Police Chief S.P. Pani said the Central Reserve Police Force had suffered major damage.

"It is a terrorist incident and we are looking into the possibility of what led to the blast. We are going to go for post-blast investigation", he said. At least 12 students were injured in an explosion at a school in Kashmir on Wednesday, police said, though the cause of the blast was not immediately clear.