The sophisticated weapons, including the lethal M4 carbine and ammunition that has the capacity to pierce through the high category of bullet-proof vehicles used by civilian VIPs and top Army commanders recovered from the three Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists killed in an encounter near here, indicates that they had infiltrated from Pakistan with plans of some major strike in Jammu and Kashmir.

They were also carrying AK47 assault rifles, IEDs, grenades, pistols, satellite phone, wireless communication system, and GPS.

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Sources said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating some terror-related incidents in J&K, is likely to join interrogation of the truck driver and cleaner of the truck in which the terrorists were travelling before being killed in the encounter.

This is the second time during the 30 years long terrorism in J&K that an M4 carbine has been recovered from terrorists. The last such carbine was recovered in 2018 when several security personnel were targeted in the Kashmir valley by JeM terrorists.

The M4 is an air-cooled, gas-operated, and magazine-fed carbine that is extensively used by the combat units of the United States Armed Forces. The gun is also capable of mounting grenade launchers to target any subject even a kilometer away. It can also target flying airplanes.

It is learned that during the interrogation of the truck driver, he also identified a place in Nagrota from where the security forces and the bomb disposal squad recovered a powerful IED fitted with RDX to target Army convoy and repeat the Pulwama type attack in which more than 40 CRPF personnel were martyred. A pack of grenades was also found hidden there and the IED was to be detonated by some third person in a few days, police said. Nagrota is the headquarters of the Army’s 16 Corps which is India’s one of the top strike Corps that guards the entire Line of Control (LoC) along Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in the Jammu division.

Police said that among the recoveries was “armoured piercing steel core ammunition which can go through Level-3 protection bullet-proof vehicles which we have”.

Police said that although three terrorists were travelling in the truck, they were carrying a huge quantity of sophisticated arms, ammunition, and communication equipment.

During interrogation, the driver and cleaner of the truck are learned to have disclosed that the terrorists used their mobile phones to contact some people in Kashmir. The driver of the truck is the cousin of the terrorist who targeted the CRPF convoy in Pulwama last year. The GPS, mobile and satellite phones of the killed terrorists were being scanned to identify their contacts and also the place from where they infiltrated into India.

While loading the urea bags, the driver of the truck had cleverly left out some cavities to let the terrorists hide.