Terrorists Using Armour Piercing Bullets From Afghanistan In J&K, Army Orders New Jackets: Report

The government sources, as per the news agency, added that the top army brass discussed this matter during the Army Commanders’ Conference held earlier in April.

(Representative Image)

New Delhi: Some of the terrorists in the Kashmir Valley used American armour piercing bullets in encounters with the Indian security forces and were successful in breaching the soldiers’ bulletproof jackets. “The terrorists used armour piercing bullets against security forces and were able to breach the bulletproof jackets worn by some of the troops. The terrorists have also been found using advanced Made in Canada night sights which again is the leftover stock of the NATO troops there,” ANI quoted government sources as saying.

The government sources, as per the news agency, added that the top army brass discussed this matter during the Army Commanders’ Conference held earlier in April.

The Indian Army has begun taking remedial measures to counter the threat from these bullets, which are part of the American weaponry leftover in Afghanistan by the US forces who had to leave earlier than planned due to capturing of all important provinces and cities by the Taliban.

“The terrorists have used these bullets during the encounters and they breached the jackets in a few cases,” ANI quoted a top officer from the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps as saying.

“We were using level 3 jackets till now and from now on, we would soon be getting the level 4 jackets which provide protection against these bullets,” the officer added.

Armour-Piercing bullets or steel core bullets can breach protection provided against bullets by a certain level of jackets and create issues for troops carrying out operations.

It was estimated that the American leftover weaponry would be used by these terrorist groups for violence in India.

The American forces have reportedly leftover weapons and equipments, including helicopters, infantry combat vehicles, communication equipment and other weaponry, worth around USD 7-8 billion.

The majority of it has been taken over by the Taliban, while small Islamist terrorist organisations have also got hold of this weaponry and are using them.

The American origin M-16 assault rifles along with M-4A carbines have in the past too been found with the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

It is estimated that the American troops have left behind over 6.5 of these types of rifles in Afghanistan during their hasty exit.