Nine soldiers injured in IED attack on army patrol in J&K

Nine soldiers suffered minor injuries after militants attacked an army vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Monday, officials said.

"A failed attempt was made to attack a mobile vehicle patrol of 44 Rashtriya Rifles with a vehicle-based IED while the army patrol was moving in the general area of Arihal in Pulwama on Monday evening," defence spokesman, Col. Rajesh Kalia told IANS.

"Troops all safe. Few minor injuries. Reports of attack on an Army convoy are unfounded and baseless," he added.

Police sources said nine soldiers had suffered injuries in this explosion and have been shifted to army's base hospital in Srinagar city.

With reinforcements of security forces immediately reaching the explosion site, the area has been cordoned off and searches are in progress, officials said.

Earlier, reports said that militants exploded an IED under a Casper vehicle, extensively damaging it, as an army convoy passed through Arihal village. However, the army clarified that the damaged vehicle was not a Casper, but an Ashok Leyland Stallion truck.

Caspers are landmine proof vehicles used by the Indian Army in the militancy-prone areas of Jammu and Kashmir to avert damage to the troops during convoy movement. They usually moves ahead of the convoy to avert the threats posed by landmines.

--IANS

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