Jammu: The preliminary probe by security agencies into the Jammu air base attack suggests that the terrorists launched the drones from close to the air base.
The drones used in the attack are small quadcopters and it is possible that they took off from a venue close to the air base, sources told a news portal. An IAF patrol team even saw the explosive payload being dropped, sources said.
Sources in the security establishment told India Today TV that no remnants of the drone were found at the blast site. Only splinters and remnants of explosives used in the blast have been recovered as of now.
Once the payload was dropped, the drone returned to wherever it came from, sources added. Moreover, security agencies said news reports suggesting that the drone itself was an IED, were incorrect. So far, two suspects have been detained. Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, who is in Bangladesh on an official invitation, is constantly monitoring the situation.
On June 24, an alert that terrorists may carry out drone attacks was issued in Kashmir.
PATHANKOT ON EDGE: Security agencies were, meanwhile, put on high alert in border areas of Punjab, particularly in border districts of Pathankot and Gurdaspur, after two explosions occurred at the Air Force Station in Jammu. Pathankot witnessed a terror attack on January 2, 2016 as well. India's international border with Pakistan falls in both the districts adjoining Jammu and Kashmir.
NIA TEAM ARRIVES: A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the Air Force Station Jammu on Sunday. It is yet to be established whether drones were used to drop low intensity bombs at the Air Force station.
The blasts took place hours before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General MM Naravane began a three-day visit to Ladakh to review India's operational readiness and to interact with troops in the backdrop of a drawn-out standoff with China.
