Terrorists using armour-piercing bullets from Afghanistan in J-K

New Delhi, May 4: Some of the terrorists in the Kashmir valley used American armour-piercing bullets in encounters with Indian security forces and were successful in breaching the bulletproof jackets of Indian Army soldiers.

The bullets are part of the American weaponry leftover in Afghanistan by US forces, which had to leave earlier than planned due to capturing of all important provinces and cities by the Taliban. "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 that again is the leftover stock of the NATO troops there," Government sources said. Also read | Annual ICC Rankings: Australia consolidate top spot in Tests, India No. 1 in T20Is The matter was discussed by the top Army brass during the Army Commanders' Conference held in April, they said. 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. The Indian Army has also started taking remedial measures to counter the threat from these bullets. "The terrorists have used these bullets during the encounters and they breached the jackets in a few cases. 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 top officer from the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said. It was estimated that the American leftover weaponry would be used by these terrorist groups to do violence in India. According to reports, the American forces have leftover weapons and equipment worth around $7-8 billion including helicopters, infantry combat vehicles, communication equipment and other weaponry. The majority of it has been taken over by the Taliban while small Islamist terrorist organisations have also gotten hold of this weaponry and are using them. Also Read | India reports 3,205 new Covid-19 cases, 31 more deaths In the past also, the American origin M-16 assault rifles along with M-4A carbines have been found with 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. -PTC News