A major tragedy was averted as security forces detected and defused an improvised explosive device (IED) on the Srinagar-Kupwara Highway on Friday, according to Indian Army, news agency ANI reported. The Army stated that the IED was detected by the column of an Air Defence Unit present in the area.
"A High-powered IED connected with three 10-kilogram LPG Cylinders was spotted by an alert Road Opening Party near Langait. The IED was planted on the National Highway that connects Kupwara with Srinagar. Almost 1000 civil vehicles and 200 defence vehicles crossed the spot where IED was planted," Indian Army stated in an issued statement.
ALSO READ | 'Uddhav Thackeray Misled Us': Shinde Camp Urges Maha Speaker For Early Decision On Disqualification Pleas
Earlier in a similar incident in September, security forces detected an IED-like object in Pattan area of Jammu and Kashmir, according to the officials.
The suspected IED, which was kept in a bag, was discovered by troops early in the morning on the national highway near Hanjiveera, they claimed. They claimed that although traffic on the motorway was halted as a precaution, a bomb disposal unit was sent in to defuse the suspected IED. The bomb disposal crew carried the suspected device to surrounding fields and detonated it with a controlled explosion, according to authorities.