Timely detection of an improvised explosive device (IED) in Rajouri’s thickly inhabited locality near the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital on Wednesday foiled an attempt by Pakistan-backed terrorists to cause loss of human lives in the border area of Kashmir.
A bomb disposal team of the Army reached the spot and defused the IED packed in a tiffin box.
The incident has triggered panic in the district town where two children had died in an IED explosion in a house on 2 January. A night before that five others were killed in the locality in a targeted attack by terrorists.
The IED was found planted this afternoon strategically near the GMC and J&K Bank branch that are visited daily by a large number of people. Terrorists had planted the IED under a parked truck in the Kheora area.
The police reached the spot immediately after receiving information about the IED at about 3 pm. The CRPF and Army also arrived there and cordoned the locality.
The twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch along the Line of Control (LOC) were several years ago declared free from terrorism. However, caches of arms and ammunition being recovered from time to time in the two districts indicate that Pakistani agencies were trying to revive terrorism there.
The two terrorists involved in killing of seven persons, including two children on January 1 and 2, have not yet been tracked down and were reported moving in the forest areas.
Before that, two persons were shot dead near the gate of the military hospital in Rajouri.