Jammu, June 16 (IANS) A junior commissioned officer (JCO) was among the four soldiers injured in an accidental landmine explosion in J&K’s Rajouri district on Tuesday, officials said.

The explosion was caused by accidental activation of a landmine during an area domination patrol by the army in the forward Kalal area of the Nowshera sector of Rajouri.

“A JCO and three soldiers were injured in the blast and were immediately evacuated to a hospital for treatment,” an official said.

As part of the anti-infiltration drive, the forward areas are dotted with landmines, which sometimes get washed away by rain, resulting in such accidents.

Landmines which get washed away from their original place of implantation are called “drift mines”, and the majority of accidents caused to army patrols are caused by these drift mines.

J&K has a 740-Km long LoC situated in the Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts of the Valley, as well as the Rajouri, Poonch and partly in the Jammu district of the Jammu division.

In addition, there is a 240 km long international border situated in Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts of Jammu division.

The LoC is guarded by the army, while the international border is guarded by the Border Security Force (BSF).

The deployed armed forces on the LoC and the international border prevent infiltration, exfiltration, smuggling and drone activity initiated from across the border. Drones are used by terror outfit handlers across the border on the Pakistani side to send payloads of arms, ammunition, cash, and drugs to sustain terrorism in J&K.

These payloads are picked up by the overground workers (OGWs) of various terrorist outfits and then passed on to the active terrorists in the area.

The Army and the BSF are now using hi-tech anti-drone equipment to check the menace. Since the deployment of this equipment, drone operations from across the border have significantly decreased.

Meanwhile, a suspected Pakistani drone was sighted today in the Rajouri district over forward villages in the Sunderbani sector (between Mahadev Gap and Kalal village).

Security forces immediately launched cordon-and-search operations to prevent any potential airdropping of weapons or narcotics, though no objectionable items were recovered.

These recent drone intrusions are part of a broader pattern. Indian Army troops frequently deploy counter-measures and open fire to neutralise aerial threats along the LoC in sectors like Nowshera, Manjakote, and Teryath.

–IANS

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