A suspected improvised explosive device (IED) has been detected on the Jammu-Srinagar highway near Anantnag.

Following the detection of the IED by security forces on the highway on Thursday morning, traffic has been suspended.

A bomb disposal squad has been called to defuse the IED, officials said.

This came a day after a major tragedy was averted with timely detection of a powerful IED on the Jammu-Poonch National Highway on Tuesday.

The IED, suspected to have been planted by terrorists to trigger an explosion, was found by an army patrolling party near Kallar Morh in the border district of Poonch and was subsequently destroyed by the bomb disposal squad, the officials said.

Movement of traffic on the busy highway was suspended for some time, officials said, and added that a massive search operation was conducted to sanitise the area and track down the terrorists who had planted the explosive device.