Initial findings suggest hands of Pak-based LeT in Jammu drone attack

New Delhi: The investigative agencies probing into Jammu air base attack, on Monday said that the preliminary findings suggest that it could be a handiwork of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group and the use of sophisticated RDX pointing out at likely involvement of Pakistan’s state actor in this blast.

Sources in the agencies said, the two bombs weighing a little over 2 Kg each, were dropped from height of around 100-150 meters and were activated by ‘impact charge’. They also added that the recovery of a six kilogram IED by Jammu police from an LeT operative leading to detention of at least three terror suspects on Sunday, appeared to be closely linked with this attack.

Meanwhile, the National Security Guard (NSG) specialized team has arrived in Jammu to analyze further explosive evidences.

“The agencies have not ruled out the possibility that these two drones might have originated from Indian side of the border, but they believed that these might have been activated by terrorists infiltrated from Pakistan with the requisite training or from very close to International Border”, the sources further said.

The officials in the security agencies have informed that over 300 drones and unidentified flying objects have been sighted along the country’s western frontiers with Pakistan, particularly in Punjab and Jammu sectors in recent time and few of them was shot down. The security personnel posted in forward areas have been facing troubles in dealing with these drones in lack of a suitable technology.

The officials said, the security agencies have also been testing some indigenously-built counter-drone technologies in the rough jungle terrains, desert and marshes along the borders with Pakistan, but till date a very little success has been achieved.

Thus, the officials said, in the present situation the lead agencies – Border Security Force (BSF) and frontier units of states’ police - have adopted a standard operating procedure (SOP) of “sight and blight” in case a drone or a remotely-operated aerial vehicle is spotted.

Data prepared and shared by the security agencies with the government said over 300 “definite sightings” were made by the BSF and other police units after August 5, 2019, when Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 was withdrawn and it was reorganised into two Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh.

However, experts in the internal security establishment are analysing for adoption some specific anti-drone techniques like sky fence, drone gun, effective jamming of the radio signal and laser system that can intercept and immobilise suspicious and lethal remote-controlled aerial objects like drone and quad-copter. (UNI)