J&K attacks: Use of sophisticated US-made assault rifles by terrorists raises alarm

The Jammu region has witnessed a spate of attacks in recent weeks

A spurt in terror activities in the Jammu region has not only forced the security apparatus to look for a renewed counter-terrorism strategy, but has also compelled the defence establishment to analyse an aspect of insurgency that could have wider ramifications for New Delhi.

In addition to the visible shift in terror operations from Kashmir to valley, experts point out that in the last few years, terrorists have been found using the American-made M4 carbine assault rifles in Jammu and Kashmir, and more so during the recent attacks including in Kathua and Doda.

A trend that experts say is "alarming" as the "leftover" weapons of the US Army after its pullout from Afghanistan in 2021 seem to have reached the ultras through Pakistani handlers.

M4 carbine rifles were designed and developed in the 1980s and used extensively by NATO, including a variant reportedly in service with several militaries including Pakistani special forces and the Special Security Unit of the Sindh Police.

The rifles offer greater manoeuvrability. The rifle has been used in several wars including the Syrian civil war, Iraqi civil war, Yemeni civil war, Colombian conflict, Kosovo war, Iraq and Afghanistan war after 9/11.

Experts say that it is Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence that has been helping terrorists with sophisticated weapons like M4 carbine rifles to further their "nefarious designs" in Jammu and Kashmir.

M4 rifles have steel bullets that have definite penetration and are generally not utilised because they come under various kinds of

M4-like sophisticated weapons increase the probability of casualties, hopes that security forces will effectively deal with the challenge. The weapons make people even in bulletproof vehicles vulnerable. That is the danger, according to security experts.

The first instance of recovery of the M4 carbine rifle in Jammu and Kashmir was reported on 7th November 2017, when a nephew of Jaish e Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, Talha Rasheed Masood, was killed in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.

In 2018, the weapon was recovered by security forces in Kashmir's Pulwama for the second time when Azhar's another nephew Usman Ibrahim was killed.

Later on July 11, 2022, one M4 carbine rifle was recovered from an encounter site in the Awantipora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district where Jaish-e-Muhammad commander Kaiser Koka and one another terrorist were neutralized.

The frequent use of these assault rifles by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, according to experts, is a consequence of the US Army leaving behind arms and ammunition while pulling out from Afghanistan in 2021 and is a cause of concern due to the more lethal nature of the steel bullets used.