Srinagar: In the first incident of its kind since the eruption of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, a suspected woman suicide bomber was killed when the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) she was carrying went off in Pulwama district on Thursday.
The IED exploded in the compound of the house of one Ghulam Mohammad Bhat at Awantipora on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway at around 1130 hours IST (+530 GMT) killing the burqa-clad woman instantly, a police spokesman said.
The target of the suicide attack seemed to be the national highway which is generally crowded with relief convoys heading towards quake-hit areas these days, official sources said.
Several houses, including that of Bhat, a former special secretary in the government, were damaged in the explosion.
Four rifle grenades, a hand grenade and Rs 500 were recovered from the scene.
In a phone call to a local news agency, a person claiming to be a spokesman of the Pak-based militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, said the woman, whom he identified as Hafsa, had blown up an Army vehicle in the attack.
However, official sources said none of the security vehicles were passing through the area when the explosion occurred.
(With inputs from PTI)
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