NEW DELHI: After the recent wave of terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir, security agencies have found that terrorists were equipped with high-tech gadgets and attachments making their weapons deadlier, officials said, adding that they discovered the gun attachments like ballistic calculators, image-rangefinders, night vision devices and gun-mounted cameras.
Giving details of the recent attacks on the army and civilians, security personnel, who are part of the anti-terror operations in J&K, said, in the firing incidents, terrorists had managed to shoot their targets with greater accuracy even from a considerable distance.
As the security agencies recovered weapons from the possession of slain terrorists, it was found that M4 guns are equipped with thermal rifle scopes featuring high-resolution video, WiFi capabilities, GPS, image stabilisation, and rangefinders, they said.
They went on to add that from the footage and photos available with the forces and intelligence agencies, it appeared that the guns used by terrorists also have ballistic calculators and may include gun-mounted cameras to record shooting incidents.
According to security experts, such attachments help the perpetrators of terror navigate the area and attack their target with precision.
Sources in the security establishment also indicated that terrorists have acquired M4 rifles with multiple attachments. “CCTV footage from an attack near the under-construction Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway showed terrorists using M4 rifles,” a source said.
Seven men - six from outside Kashmir and a local doctor- were killed in the Z Morh tunnel attack.
In July also the security forces found that terrorists were using M4 rifles capable of effective firing at ranges of 500-600 meters. “Until last year, terrorists primarily used pistols, while senior commanders favoured AK series rifles. However, in June, during an operation, security forces found Steyr AUG rifles used by the Austrian armed forces. This weapon is more reliable and accurate than others, the sources said, adding that these weapons are possibly procured by terrorists from Afghanistan.