Kashmir drone attacks raise fears of new turn in terror tactics
A drone attack on air force station in the city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir reflects a shift in terror tactics, according to experts, which leaves Delhi looking at strong countermeasures to tackle the new threat.
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Three days after the Jammu attack, investigators are still not sure whether the drone was a crude, commercially available version that had been rigged to drop an explosive charge or was one that could fly longer distances and attack with greater accuracy.
Two low-intensity explosions were reported early Sunday in the technical area of Jammu air force station. One caused minor damage to the roof of a building while the other exploded in an open area.
Since the attack, three more drones were spotted in the Kaluchak area of the region. The drones were flying high and disappeared after briefly hovering over the establishment.
Drone attacks made its entry in India early Sunday, following twin explosions at the Indian Air Force base in #Jammu, posing new security challenges for the country, writes @PrabhashRinkoo https://t.co/0EuivzzEGc
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) June 28, 2021
The security establishment says the attacks represent a new threat and a dangerous sign of things to come.
Despite multiple warnings, and the lack of real damage, the attack on the airbase shows how unprepared India was in combating this threat.
'Wake up call'
Experts believe that India should have woken up to the exponential proliferation of new technologies and artificial intelligence long back, and thus makes the task of combating terror even more challenging.
“Why were we still asleep? Weaponised drones have been used by terror groups in other theatres for more than four years,” Ajay Sahni, a counterterrorism expert and executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management told RFI.
“How many wake up calls does this country need to start evolving a process of strategic response?”
Others believe that counter-drone technology will have to be deployed to make sure India is able to detect the risk.
“Use of drone technology by non-state actors represents a very major jump in the way the insurgency is playing out. This will also entail a new manner of counter insurgency responses across India,” said defence analyst Sameer Joshi.
That non-state actors have caught up quickly was evidenced when Syrian rebels used homemade drones to attack Russian military bases in 2018. A year later, Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for bombing Saudi oil installations using drones.
In 2020, a Turkish-made explosive-laden drone reportedly attacked Khalifa Haftar’s forces in Libya, in what is believed to be the world’s first case of an autonomous drone attacking humans without being instructed to do so.
Given drone warfare is well on its path to emerge as one of the most important international security developments of this century, security experts say it calls for a more complex response.
#OPINION | Unless India decides to invest in security measures including the detection of commercial drone imports, such attacks are only going to become more frequent.
— News18.com (@news18dotcom) June 27, 2021
Writes @Iyervval https://t.co/40oqL6ureI
The mushrooming number of small, commercially available drones has been modified to give even small terror groups an aerial combat capability and dominance that is traditionally available to modern air forces.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already held a high-level meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Affairs minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on futuristic challenges in the defence sector and equipping the armed forces with modern equipment.
Security has been strengthened around vital installations across Kashmir in view of the threat posed by possible drone attacks.
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