Some of the terrorists in the Kashmir valley were found to have used American armour-piercing bullets during encounters with Indian security forces which were successful in breaching the bulletproof jackets of soldiers.
These bullets are part of the American weaponry left out in Afghanistan by the US forces, who had to retreat 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 which again is the leftover stock of the NATO troops there,” Government sources said.
The matter was discussed brass during the Army Commanders’ Conference held in April by the top army, according to the sources.
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 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 will soon be getting the level 4 jackets which provide protection against these bullets,” the top officer from the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said.
That American leftover weaponry would be used by these terrorist groups to do violence in India was already estimated.
According to reports, the American forces have leftover weapons and equipment worth around USD 7-8 billion including helicopters, infantry combat vehicles, communication equipment and other weaponry. While the majority of it has been taken over by the Taliban, small Islamist terrorist organisations have also got hold of this weaponry and are using them now.
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.
