Rajouri, May 14
The Indian Army's Bomb Disposal Squad has been actively engaged in defusing unexploded shells in the residential areas near the Line of Control (LoC) villages in the Noushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, ensuring the safety of local residents in the region.
According to the Army, the operation is crucial for ensuring the safety of the local residents living in close proximity to the International Border (IB), who were under fire from Pakistan's intense shelling prior to the understanding of the cessation of hostilities on May 10.
The video footage shows army personnel carefully handling and defusing the hazardous ordnance while some of them are being exploded from long distances and taking precautionary measures.
The shelling, which affected major districts in Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control, resulted in significant damage to homes and infrastructure as well as the loss of civilian lives.
Earlier on Tuesday, JK Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo said that the administration has been working to compensate those affected by Pakistani shelling, with more bunkers being build in the border areas.
"Many people have been injured and houses have been damaged due to shelling from across the Line of Control. The administration is working to compensate those affected by Pakistani shelling... We will build more bunkers in the border areas," he said.
The presence of live shells in the region stems from Pakistan's heavy artillery shelling in retaliation for India's 'Operation Sindoor', which targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Operation Sindoor was India's decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Launched on May 7, Operation Sindoor led to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan.
After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced.
- ANI