An Army officer has been killed and a soldier injured in an IED blast near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said on Saturday.

The blast took place in Laam area of Rajouri’s Nowshera sector, reports the hindustantimes.com.

Lt Col Anand said the explosion that killed the Major-rank officer took place around 3 pm.

Sources said the officer and soldier, who were out on patrol, had spotted freshly-dug soil on the dirt track.

“They were checking the spot when blast took place which caused the death of officer and injured a soldier”, said sources.

The improvised explosive device appears to have been planted recently by elements from across the Line of Control, sources said. They said this was a common modus operandi adopted by Pakistan-based terrorists to target Indian security forces deployed along the border.