SrinagarIn the backdrop of Lethpora Pulwama attack, in which five central Reserve Police personnel and three militants were killed, The Ministry of Home affairs (MHA) has advised the security agencies in Kashmir for strengthening of security in vital establishments which are vulnerable to militant attacks.
There are various buildings of security forces, which give militants an advantage to fight battle for longer hours. Security of such buildings must be revived along the highway to ensure militants dont get inside if they carry out any attack in future, the MHA directives according to sources have said.
Militants stormed a central reserve police force (CRPF) camp in Lethpora area along the Srinagar-Anantnag highway in an audacious pre-dawn strike on Sunday, killing at least five CRPF personnel. Three militants were also killed.
Security agencies are reviewing security of vital installations and establishments in Kashmir in view militants taking advantage of multi-storey concrete buildings and carrying out Fidayeen attacks on camps, a police official said.
There are some establishments which are vulnerable to attacks. The security agencies have been directed to carry out their security review to combat any of the attacks, the police official said wishing not to be named.
The official said that Fidayeen attack was carried out on Lethpora camp to engage security forces for longer hours. There are many big buildings in which militants tried to be holed up but the CRPF personnel fought and killed them and defeat what they were aimed for, the official said.
Special DGP, CRPF, S N Shrivastava, said that security is being reviewed of all security establishments. Security review is an ongoing process. We are doing it as per the situation and upgrading security accordingly, he said.
He said that security forces were ready to combat militancy in the valley. We will take every measure whatever is required to eradicate militancy.
Further the CCTVs are also being installed in various vital buildings of the Valley to ensure militants dont take advantage which are vulnerable for such attacks.
Earlier, the militants had engage security forces for hours after holed up inside a six-storey building of Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) Pampore.
The gunfight, one of the longest in the recent history of Kashmir is believed that militants had managed to keep security forces engaged so long by taking advantage of the building.
Sources said that the issue was also raised up in a recent security meeting where it was directed security agencies to ensure militants dont manage to hole up inside such establishments and all possible loopholes are plugged in time. Security forces were directed to follow proper SOP so that militants don’t get a change to escape.
Besides that periodical security review of these installations is also carried out to further strengthen and update the security aspects, sources said.
Earlier a high level committee of the army has suggested measures to strengthen security of various military establishments. The new strategy on part of militants like targeting vital installations may be a move to inflict more casualties on forces besides damaging the establishments as well. So the committee reviewed the security of vital installations and suggested various measures to the concerned agencies, an army official said. (KNS)
Lethpora Fidayeen Used Armour-Piercing Bullets
In what could send security agencies in a tizzy in Jammu and Kashmir, the three militants who carried out Fidayeen attack in Lethpora on December 31 had used bullets that pierced the body armour of the troopers.
This is for the first time that such bullets have been used in any militant attack across India, India Today reported.
Quoting Inspector General of paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Ravideep Sahi, the report said that three Jaish-e-Mohammed Fidayeens who attacked the CRPF installation in Pulwama had used steel-core bullets, which can pierce body armour.
“The bullet pierced the shield and hit him (trooper). Though the CRPF personnel killed the attacker, we lost one man,” Sahi said.
The hardened steel penetrator, encased usually in a copper jacket, in such bullets is a pointed mass of high-density material which retains its shape and strikes the target with maximum energy, said the report.
“In fact, one of the bullets penetrated the bullet-proof gypsy of the Assistant Commandant hitting a CRPF man,” mentioned the report.
The bullets, according to the report, have been sent for forensic examination.
The bullets used in the Pulwama attack, which are undergoing forensic tests outside the state, have set alarm bells ringing in the security establishment.
The use of armour-piercing rounds by militants could be a major security nightmare as several VIPS use bulletproof vehicles, added the report.
In the attack, three militants and five CRPF men were killed. Three troopers were in the firefight that lasted 36-hours.
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