Tragedy averted as IED defused in Jammu & Kashmir’s Baramulla

Security forces averted a major tragedy when they detected and defused an improvised explosive device (IED) on the Sopore-Kupwara Highway in north Kashmir on Wednesday.

An IED was detected by joint teams of police and the army’s Rashtriya Rifles at Tulibal along Sopore-Kupwara bypass road, a police official said. Soon after the detection of the IED, traffic was halted and the movement of people was restricted.

A Bomb Disposal Squad was rushed to the spot who defused the IED without causing any harm, he said. The traffic, which was halted on the highway briefly, was resumed after the area was thoroughly sanitised.

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On October 19, a similar IED was defused on the Handwara-Baramulla Highway. Prior to that on August 10, security forces averted a major tragedy when they detected an IED in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

In the last few years militants have been trying to plan attacks by planting landmines (IEDs) at various locations in Jammu and Kashmir. However, due to prompt action by the police and security forces, most of the IEDs were detected and defused before they could cause any damage.

“Some IED experts from across the border may have crossed over to Kashmir and joined the militants here to revitalize and use the deadly old technique of IED blasts,” sources said.

“In the coming months, more such attacks are possible as militants are unable to directly confront the security forces,” they warned.