The Indian military facility in Jammu was hit with two blasts in the wee hours of Sunday. The terror attack, which is being called the first made with a drone, injured two IAF (Indian Air Force) personnel.
The attack took place at around 2 am in the Air Force’s base situated in Jammu Airport, about 14 km away from the border shared with Pakistan. According to reports, the sound of the explosions was heard a kilometer away from the site.
The first blast happened at 1.37 am while the second at 1.43 am at the high security level airport. One of these damaged the roof of a building in the technical department and another exploded in an open area causing no damage.
Confirming the attack to be the work of terrorists, Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh said, “The attack at the IAF station in Jammu is a terror attack.”
The bombings have led to the activation of the UAA law as an FIR has been filed under the anti-terror Act. This law permits the police to arrest and detain people based on suspicion as well for a period of upto 6 months even if the police do not have evidence against them.
The National Investigation Agency has jumped into action and is investigating the matter. Joining them are teams from the National Bomb Data Centre, the IAF, forensic experts and J&K police officials who are also probing the case.
Mr Singh claimed the police stopped another attack from taking place in a crowded area in the state after they arrested a terrorist, who they believe to be working for the Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba body. The alleged terrorist was found carrying an IED (Improvised Explosive Device), which was going to be used for bombing a “crowded place”, the chief said, adding that this arrest wasn’t in connection with today’s airport blast.
ALSO READ: Landslide blocks Jammu-Srinagar highway
“Drones with payload were used in both the blasts at Jammu airfield. Another crude bomb was found by the Jammu police. This IED was received by a Lashkar e Taiba operative and was to be planted at some crowded place,” Mr Singh said.
The dual-use facility present in the Jammu Airport is controlled by the IAF and also operated passenger flights. The attack, however, did not cause any disruption in the schedule of flights, Jammu Airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General MM Naravane were due to visit Ladakh hours before the blast took place. The Ladakh journey was going to be a 3-day tour for assessing India’s operational preparedness, if a face-off against China arises. Their schedule also included interaction with the army personnel to discuss the matter.
In the past 2 years, there have been reports of Pakistan using drones to attack India by dropping bombs across the border with the first in 2019’s August. The attempt seemed to be a failed one after a crashed drone was found in a village in Punjab’s Amritsar.
In the following September, troops arrested terrorists who claimed that 8 drones were used to drop drugs and weapons in Punjab. Next year in June, the BSF (Border Security Force) shot at a drone suspected to be a possession of terrorists in Jammu’s Kathua district. Soon in July, they found a network of tunnels that were built across the border with its end in Jammu.
The J&K police found drone-dropped weapons in a village in Jammu’s Akhnoor in September 2020. They arrested 3 militants who had received the weapons.
NA
