Explosions rock Indian military base
June 27, 2021
Two explosions at an air force base in the northern Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir, may have been delivered by drones, local media reported on Sunday.
If confirmed, the incident would be the first use of drones by Pakistan-linked militants aimed at the Indian security establishment.
What we know about the incident
The explosions took place in the early hours of Sunday, between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. local time (around 2030 UTC Saturday) at the air base in the city of Jammu.
The Indian Air Force said on Twitter that explosions were heard in the technical area of the high-security air force base.
Two Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel suffered minor injuries
One of the explosions caused minor damage to the roof of a building while the other exploded in an open area, the Indian Air Force said, adding that there was no damage to any equipment.
The bomb disposal squad and forensic analysts had inspected the site early in the morning.
Mukesh Singh, the Additional Director General of Police in Jammu, told DW that he couldn't confirm the use of drones since they had just launched the investigation.
Terror group has used drones
NDTV cited local police as saying that the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba had used the drones to drop explosives for use in a possible strike "at a crowded place."
The news channel said the militant group had previously used drones — a crashed drone was found in a village in Amritsar in 2019.
In June last year, Indian forces shot down a suspected spy drone in the Kathua district of Jammu.
And in September, arrested militants allegedly revealed how eight drone sorties in Punjab contained that drugs and weapons, NDTV said.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan, which both claim it in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989.
Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.