Srinagar, March 20 -- A major tragedy was averted when security forces found and destroyed an improvised explosive device(IED) on a major road in North Kashmir's Bandipora district on Wednesday, army said.

This is the third such incident in the past four days in which an IED or a suspected explosive device was destroyed in the valley by security forces.

Officials said that army and police launched a search operation in Aragam Bandipora where they located an IED fitted in a pressure cooker along a side of Bandipora-Srinagar road.

"Chinar Warriors in a joint operation with J&K Police today averted a major terror incident, which would have threatened innocent lives of Kashmiri citizens, by recovering and destroying an IED on the critical ...