Published on - 11/17/2002
An estimated total of 407 hand grenades and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), recovered or arrested hitherto by the Army or Police during this year 2002 have been defused/destroyed by the Army's Bomb Disposal Squadron.
Most of these explosives have been found from areas such as Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Nuwara Eliya, Diyatalawa, Galle, Kandy, Kuruwita and Kurunegala. In addition 138 hand grenades and IEDs recovered by the squadron located in Colombo and its suburbs, have also been defused/destroyed.
An equal number of fifty one hand grenades and IEDs, from both Kurunegala and also from Galle were defused/destroyed by the Army Bomb Disposal Squadron during this specific period ending on 31 October 2002 recording the highest recovery number. Next was from Kandy with a record 44 recoveries while the total number recovered from Anuradhapura stood at 41.
The Army Bomb Squadron in January this year defused two IEDs made from Marmite bottles, two tin bombs and one smoke bomb recovered from Wattala area. Two locally made IEDs arrested in Weyangoda were defused on 06 February, this year but the smoke bomb recovered from Kommpannavidiya early in July this year was defused by the Army Bomb Squadron attached to the Army Headquarters in Colombo. Three 81mm mortar bombs recovered from Horowpathana and four Anti-Personnel Mines and three Landmines arrested at Kekirawa were also removed and subsequently destroyed by the Squadron attached to Anuradhapura.
Most of these grenades and IEDs were either arrested or recovered from aforesaid areas by the Police or by the Army with the assistance of the Police.
