Army foils major terror attack

Srinagar: The Army said on Thursday that it averted a major terror strike in Akhnoor areas close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Jammu district by detecting and defusing an improvised explosive device (IED) and two landmines.

Apparently, the devices had been planted by militants to cause deaths and damage in the area, they said. “But alertness and vigilance of Army personnel helped in averting the strike,” said a statement issued by the defence ministry.

Giving the details, the statement said that on Wednesday night, the sentries observed suspicious movement close to an Army unit location near the Akhnoor market.

“A response mechanism was activated wherein the entire area was cordoned off and deliberate search operation was conducted. During the area sanitisation process, the security forces recovered the IED and two mines,” the statement said.

Minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre, is currently on a two-day visit of Jammu region and had asked the troops to maintain a high degree of alertness along the LoC in the state.

Meanwhile, the alliance of key separatist leaders — Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik — has called for “mass protest rally” against what it alleged are conspiracies being hatched by New Delhi to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar on October 14.

The alliance in a statement issued here on Thursday alleged that the “anti-Kashmir and anti-Muslims” policies are being implemented “to strengthen the military occupation of J&K” and asked the people to reach Srinagar’s TRC grounds on October 14 to join the rally.