Srinagar, Oct. 15: A lethal claymore mine close to the Line of Control in Poonch has sparked fresh worry for security forces busy battling repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the border in Jammu.

The army found the mine having 800 pellets with a killing area of 50 metres in the Saujiyan sector of Poonch district yesterday.

Jammu defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta said it was the first time such a mine had been found in the state and “reaffirms the handiwork of inimical terrorists and subversive elements in spreading acrimonious activities on the LoC and the hinterland”.

Army sources said the anti-personnel mine, which produces a fan-shaped pattern of fragments, was apparently planted by Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT), which comprises army regulars and militants from groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

The BAT has in the past been accused of carrying out attacks on soldiers, often with improvised explosive devices. The ongoing stand-off is believed to have been triggered after a Mahar regiment soldier of the Indian Army was killed by an IED while patrolling the Line of Control.

The army said it was fully prepared to handle any “misadventure or nefarious design of terrorists and inimical elements”.

A day after the mine was found, Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing and shelling in the same Saujiyan sector. Officials said the Pakistani troops used small arms and fired 82mm mortars from 9am to 12.30pm today.

No one was injured in the fresh firing after a few days of calm.