Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command of the Indian Army, said last week that the Pakistan Army “dare not try and come anywhere across the Line of Control (LoC) to carry out any kind of actions.” Shortly after, Special Forces of India were equipped with high-powered American and Italian sniper rifles along the LoC.
A defense official told Greater Kashmir that “elite units of Army deployed along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir have been provided with the new US and Italian made snipers after proper training from US and Italian experts. The move is aimed to curb infiltration.”
Greater Kashmir said law enforcement statistics show 93 militants, including over 25 foreign militants, have been killed in different incidents trying to cross the border this year.
The defense official said a shift in warmer temperatures in Kashmir has melted snow, allowing militants, generally funded by Pakistan, to cross the India–Pakistan border. “To ensure zero infiltration, latest snipers will play a crucial role,” the official claimed.
Elaborating more on the new sniper rifles, the official said soldiers deployed along LoC are now carrying Barrett .50 caliber M95 and the Beretta .338 Lapua Magnum Scorpio TGT. “These rifles have a much longer range and power than the Russian made snipers being used by the soldiers so far. These snipers can fix the targets at the range of over 1,000 meters,” the official said.
The American Barrett M95 is a bolt-action sniper rifle chambered in .50 BMG (12.7×99mm), has a range of 1,800 meters. “An anti-material rifle means the bullet can actually pierce through metal,” the official said.
“These snipers are multipurpose—to counter infiltration and to give befitting response—to the ceasefire violation from across the LoC,” the source said. “Army is ready to deal with any situation that emerges in the ensuing summer months along the LoC. There are apprehensions that militants in large groups may try to sneak in given the series of successful operations against militants in the hinterland.”
The security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been under control for the last several months. But in mid-February, tensions flared up with fierce fighting after the Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad killed 40 Indian paramilitary police. Several weeks later, an Indian MiG-21 conducted the first significant aerial combat engagement between the two countries in nearly half a century and was shot down by a Pakistani F-16.
BREAKING: The moment when PAF’s JF-17 shot down the Indian MiG-21 that resulted in the capture of pilot, wing-commander Abhinandan. #India #Pakistan #Kashmir
pic.twitter.com/ia8uIVTLmI— Kashmir Intel (@KashmirIntel) February 28, 2019
With warm weather now allowing Pakistani militants to cross the LoC with ease, India’s move to outfit its special forces with high-powered sniper rifles along the LoC – suggests that tensions could flare up in the summer months.
via ZeroHedge News http://bit.ly/2WgKTIk Tyler Durden