Tag: Drone Attack

  • Britain’s Defense Ministry Releases Images Of Suspected Drone Shot Down In The Red Sea

    British defense minister Grant Shapps said HMS Diamond shot down a drone targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea.

  • Another drone spotted near Jammu Air Force Station

    By ANI
    JAMMU: Days after terrorists used armed drones to attack the Air Force Station (AIF) in Jammu, another drone was spotted in the same area in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

    Further details of the incident are awaited.

    Over the last few weeks, drone activity has been spotted in a few other parts of the union territory.

    Srinagar, Kupwara, Rajouri and Baramulla have imposed bans on the storage, sale, possession, use and transport of drones and other similar unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

    The Air Force Station sustained minor damage in the attack that took place last month. It is being probed by the National Investigative Agency. 

  • Drones banned in Srinagar

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: A week after a drone attack at an Air Force base in Jammu, authorities in Srinagar on Sunday banned the sale, possession and use of such unmanned aerial vehicles in the city.

    Earlier, authorities in border districts of Rajouri and Kathua in the Jammu region had put curbs on the use of drones and other UAVs in the wake of the terror attack last Sunday.

    Two explosives-laden drones had crashed into the Indian Air Force station at Jammu airport and there were other suspicious sightings of UAVs, triggering a security alert.

    In an order, deputy commissioner of Srinagar Mohammad Aijaz directed those having drone cameras or other similar kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles to deposit them in local police stations.

    The order, however, exempted government departments using drones for mapping, surveys and surveillance in agricultural, environmental conservation and disaster mitigation sectors but directed them to inform the local police station before using them.

    The administration cautioned that any violation of the guidelines will attract punitive action, and directed police to implement the restrictions in letter and spirit.

    The order to ban the use of drones came after the recommendations of the city’s police chief.

    “The decentralised airspace access has to be regulated in view of recent episodes of misuse of drones posing threat to security infrastructure as reported by media/other reliable sources,” the order said.

    To “secure the aerial space” near the vital installations and highly populated areas, it is “imperative” to discontinue the use of drones in all social and cultural gatherings to eliminate any risk of injury to the life and damage of property, the order said.

    “Keeping in view the security situation, apart from concerns of breach of privacy, nuisance and trespass, it is extremely dangerous to let unmanned aerial vehicles wander around in the skies within the territorial jurisdiction of district Srinagar,” it said.

    The district magistrate imposed “restrictions/ban on the storage, sale/ possession, use and transport of drones/similar kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles in the city”.

    “Persons already having the drone cameras/ similar kind of unmanned aerial vehicles in their possession shall ground the same in the local police stations under proper receipt,” the order said.

  • Drone strikes in Jammu airbase was an act of terror: Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The drone strikes in Jammu airbase was an act of terror that was aimed at targeting key military assets, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said on Friday asserting that the Indian Air Force is in the process of bolstering its capabilities to deal with such security challenges.

    The Chief of Air Staff said the IAF has carried out a detailed analysis in terms of implications of drones and other similar capabilities falling into the hands of non-state actors, and taking a series of measures to counter them.

    “What happened at Jammu was essentially a terrorist act which attempted to target our assets there. The attempt failed of course. The assets were not damaged. Two explosives were used,” he said in an interactive session at a think tank.

    Explosives-laden drones were used to carry out an attack on the Jammu Air Force station on Sunday in the first such instance of suspected Pakistan-based terrorists deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to strike at vital military installations in India.

    The Chief of Air Staff said a detailed investigation into the attacks was underway and that all sets of measures would be on the table based on the findings of the probe.

    “We have gone over the subject in terms of the implications of this kind of capabilities in the hands of non-state actors and the kind of effect the armed drone capabilities would have in future conflicts,” Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said.

    He said the IAF analysed a large extent the requirements in terms of planning and required systems and infrastructure to enhance its abilities to go for “soft kill” and to have a counter-drone system.

    “It should be possible to react in the short notice; detect, quickly react and be able to target it and that targeting is essentially directed energy kind of targeting in terror attack kind of a situation,” the IAF Chief said.

    “All these issues have been looked at and many of the projects have already been undertaken and some of the systems were already fielded,” he said.

    He said the Jammu Air Force station did not have critical assets and systems to detect drones were not fielded there Referring to the attacks, he said there was no visibility when the incident took place.

    “Very soon we will have enough systems and we will target. We will find ways to tackle this threat,” the Air Chief Marshal said.

  • Pakistan-based terror groups behind weapons, narcotics dropped by drones in Jammu and Kashmir: DGP

    By PTI
    JAMMU: Asserting that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfits are behind the dropping of arms, IEDs and narcotics by drones in Jammu and Kashmir, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said on Friday that the time has come to defeat and reject terrorism to usher in peace and development in the Union Territory.

    He said counter-insurgency operations would be further speeded up to wipe out terrorism, while efforts are on to further strengthen security arrangements to counter the threat posed by the drones, especially in the aftermath of the recent attack on the Indian Air Force base in Jammu.

    Talking to reporters after the attestation-cum-passing-out parade of the 27th Basic Recruitment Training Course (BRTC) in Kathua district, the DGP said LeT’s hand is suspected behind the twin drone strikes inside the IAF station, Jammu in the early hours of Sunday.

    “The investigation [in the IAF bombing] is in progress. We have not reached any conclusive stage so as to say who is actually involved but now that we have past history of Lashkar using drones to drop weapons, narcotics on this side besides the ready-made Improvised Explosive Devices to be planted at various locations. So at this stage, I would only say that LeT hand is suspected and rest when we move further in the investigation we will be able to say further,” Singh said.

    Referring to the arrest of a terrorist with 5.5 kgs of IED in Jammu, he said a module was busted which was planning to carry out an IED explosion at a crowded place to cause large number of casualties on the same day when the twin bombs were dropped on the air force station.

    ALSO READ: Drone spotted over Indian High Commission in Islamabad; issue taken up strongly with Pakistan

    “The IED came and was sent from the LeT handler from that side [Pakistan]. The fellow who was to receive that IED has been arrested by police and is being interrogated. The IED was to be planted at a crowded place to cause a large number of casualties,” the police chief said, complimenting the security agencies and Jammu police for the successful operation of thwarting the attempt before the IED could be planted.

    Before the attack in Jammu, Singh said over a dozen incidents of weapon droppings by LeT with the use of drones have taken place.

    He said RDX was found used in the IED which was recovered.

    “It was fabricated to be carried and dropped by a drone,” he said.

    Describing drones as a major security threat, Singh said “the use of drones by anti-national elements, terrorists, to drop weapons and IEDs is a threat and we are taking counter steps (to defeat their designs).”

    The DGP said Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed lot of death and destruction due to terrorism.

    “My message to the youth is that there is enough bloodshed of innocents by terrorists and the time has come to reject and defeat terrorism on every front. Youth should be equal partners in peace, prosperity and development and should save themselves from such activities which are not beneficial to them, their families and the society as a whole,” he said.

    About recruitment of local youth in terrorist ranks in the valley, he said the recruitment is taking place but it is much less than the earlier.

    “We have been engaging the youth in a positive direction and it (the recruitment) is almost nil compared to previous years. In future, we believe it will drop further,” he said.

    When asked about the rise in encounters between security forces and terrorists in the valley, the DGP quipped “more encounters will take place”.

    “There are people who are enemies of peace and a threat to the lives of innocents. They are involved in acts of terror and linked to [terror] groups outside J&K and planning violence in different areas. They [terrorists] will be finished and so operations are being further intensified against them,” he said.

    The DGP said the ceasefire between India and Pakistan is holding on the Line of Control and International border.

    “There is lull on that count as there is no ceasefire violation reported as of now [after the February agreement between India and Pakistan]. However, the weapon dropping through drones from across the border is taking place at the behest of LeT and JeM, which are actually operating from Pakistan,” he said.

    When queried on whether the drone used to bomb the IAF station had come from Pakistan or launched by someone in the vicinity of the base, he said the investigators suspect that the drone has come from across the border but the second aspect cannot be ruled out at this point of time.

    The police chief said all the security agencies have got together after the drone strike and held a series of meetings to review the security arrangements of vital installations and places to ward off such types of attacks in future.

    “Some additional measures have been taken which cannot be discussed in the media. Some measures have been taken and more measures are in the pipeline,” he said, adding “some new technology has also been deployed (to counter the drone threat).

  • Drone spotted over Indian High Commission in Islamabad; issue taken up strongly with Pakistan

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A drone was spotted over the Indian High Commission complex in Pakistan last week, triggering a huge security scare in the mission, people familiar with the development said on Friday.

    The Indian mission has already taken up the issue strongly with the Pakistani authorities.

    It is learnt that the drone was spotted late last week.

    ALSO READ: Border Security Force opens fire after Pakistani drone spotted on IB in Jammu

    There is no official comment on the incident yet.

    The incident came to light amid growing concerns in the security establishment in India after explosives-laden drones were used to carry out an attack on the Jammu Air Force station on June 27.

    According to security officials, it was the first instance of suspected Pakistan-based terrorists deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to strike at vital installations in India.

  • Easy availability of drones increases complexity and challenges, says Army Chief after Jammu attack

    By PTI
    Speaking days after attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Thursday said the easy availability of drones definitely increases complexity and challenges.

    We have put in place certain measures, all troops sensitised to this evolving threat, Army Chief said on the drone attack on Jammu Air Force Station.

    “We have strong counter-terrorism & counter-infiltration grid in J&K and our operation to ensure peace, tranquillity will continue,” he said.

    “We are developing capabilities to deal with that threat whether by state-sponsored or by states themselves and to deal with drone threats both in kinetic & non-kinetic realm,” he opined.

    In a first terror attack of its kind, two low-intensity improvised explosive devices dropped by drones went off in a highly secure Indian Air Force base in Jammu, about 14 km off the International Border, in the early hours on Sunday.

    Naravane also said that there has been no infiltration along LoC after ceasefire agreement was reached between India & Pakistan.

    Since there is no infiltration, number of terrorists in Kashmir is lesser, he added. 

    The Army chief on Jammu and Kashmir said, “There will always be elements who will try to sabotage process of peace & development. We have to cater for that.”

  • LeT suspected to be behind IAF station attack in Jammu; PM holds high-level meet

    By Express News Service
    SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: Amid the security establishment’s assessment that it was the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) that was behind the twin drone strikes on an IAF base in Jammu two days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a high-level meeting with defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union home affairs minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. 

    J&K police chief Dilbag Singh pointed his finger of suspicion directly at the LeT, saying it is widely using drones for supplies to its terror operatives. He also said that the drones that attacked the Jammu airbase possibly came from Pakistan. 

    ​“The drones are suspected to have come from across (the border) but we are still probing as of now,” he said. Laskhar’s role has been established in most cases of arms smuggling through drones along the Line of Control and the International Border in J&K, he added.

    Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency on Tuesday formally took over probe into the airbase attack. Two NIA teams — one from Jammu and the other from Delhi were already part of the investigation since Sunday. An NIA spokesperson termed the twin blasts as “a well-planned conspiracy”.

    At the meeting chaired by Modi, the security establishment deliberated on futuristic challenges in the defence sector and on “equipping our forces with modern equipment”, sources said. Policy matters on security were discussed in detail, they added but refused to elaborate.

    Sources said security agencies have not found any debris of the drones used in the IAF station attack. “Had the debris been found, we could have detected their point of origin and the route from their GPS coordinates. It is believed that the drones were not self-destructive and probably returned to their source after dropping two explosives, including RDX, injuring two IAF personnel,” a highly placed source told this newspaper.

    Splinters found at the site of explosions have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.