Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 9: Army today averted a major tragedy on the Line of Control (LoC) when it detected and defused two powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at Sonawali Gali in Mankote sector of Mendhar tehsil in Poonch district.
The IEDs had reportedly been planted by the militants with the help of Pakistan Army at the forward area to target the troops during their patrolling of the area. However, the matter was under investigation.
Official sources said troops detected two powerful IEDs planted at Sonawali Gali at 3.15 pm today when they were carrying out routine patrolling in forward area of the LoC in Mankote sector. Army sounded an alert immediately.
Troops sealed the area. A Bomb Disposal Squad reached the spot and examined the IEDs. The Squad later defused both the IEDs successfully after an hour long operation.
Sources said a major tragedy was averted with timely detection of the IEDs as they were capable of causing extensive damage.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the militants in forward area with the help of some Pakistan Army jawans might have planted the IEDs to target the troops on the LoC during routine patrolling in the evening and the night.
However, the alert troops detected the IEDs well in time and thwarted the Pakistan plot to target the Army personnel, sources said.
It may be mentioned here that the Army soldiers had been undertaking routine patrolling on the LoC during the evening and night hours to check any movement of the militants, who were making all out efforts to infiltrate into the Indian territory from Mendhar, Krishna Ghati and other areas of Poonch district.
However, Army has foiled all attempts of the militants aimed at infiltration into this side. Sources didn’t rule out attempt by the militants to intrude into the Indian territory under the garb of IED blasts.
“There was a possibility that the militants might have been planning to infiltrate into the Indian side after detonating the IEDs’’, sources said, adding that earlier also the militants had made similar bids but failed.
Troops have already intensified patrolling along the LoC following reports that before the onset of winter, the militants could make all out efforts to infiltrate into this side from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), where they have been held up in large numbers.
A series of intrusion bids by the militants under the cover of Pakistan firing from across the LoC have been thwarted by the troops in the recent past in Mendhar, Krishna Ghati and other parts of Poonch sector but sources said they were anticipating more such attempts in the coming days.
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