By: Shubham Ghosh
KASHMIR Police personnel shot down a drone carrying around five kilograms of improvised explosive device (IED) in Gurah Pattan area in Jammu’s Akhnoor near the Line of Control early on Friday (23).
The incident happened weeks after two explosions were carried out at an Indian Air Force base in Jammu airport with the help of drones. The Indian side claimed that the attacks were terror attacks that were backed by Pakistan.
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According to sources, the drone that was shot down on Friday came from Pakistan and the IED, which was wrapped inside a plastic packet, was likely to be dropped in a nearby area. Those receiving it had to only connect its fuse with the wires before planting it. The drone was later identified as a hexacopter.
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The IED was reportedly destroyed by the police. The cops also suspect that banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the operation.
Mukesh Singh, additional director general of police, Jammu zone, confirmed the incident.
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The shooting down of the drone occurred just two days ahead of Indian president Ram Nath Kovind’s scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Drone sightings in Kashmir Valley and the adjacent areas have become a regular affair since the June 27 drone attacks. The district administration of Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, has banned drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, warning that sale, possession, storage, use and transport of drones would lead to action.
The National Security Guards had deployed an anti-drone system in Jammu after the June 27 incident in which two airmen received minor injuries while a building roof was damaged.