Some of the militants in the Kashmir valley used American armour piercing bullets in encounters with Indian security forces and were successful in breaching the bulletproof jackets of soldiers.
The bullets are part of the American weaponry leftover in Afghanistan by the US forces who had to leave earlier than planned due to capturing of all important provinces and cities by the Taliban.
“The militants used armour piercing bullets against security forces and were able to breach the bulletproof jackets worn by some of the troops. The militants have also been found using advanced Made in Canada night sights which again is the leftover stock of the NATO troops there,” Government sources said.
The matter was discussed by the top army brass during the Army Commanders’ Conference held in April, they said.
Armour-Piercing bullets or steel core bullets can breach protection provided against bullets by a certain level of jackets and create issues for troops carrying out operations.
The Indian Army has also started taking remedial measures to counter the threat from these bullets.
“The militants have used these bullets during the encounters and they breached the jackets in a few cases. We were using level 3 jackets till now and from now on, we would soon be getting the level 4 jackets which provide protection against these bullets,” the top officer from the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said.
It was estimated that the American leftover weaponry would be used by these militant groups to do violence in India.
According to reports, the American forces have leftover weapons and equipment worth around USD 7-8 billion including helicopters, infantry combat vehicles, communication equipment and other weaponry.
The majority of it has been taken over by the Taliban while small Islamist militant organizations have also gotten hold of this weaponry and are using them.
In the past also, the American origin M-16 assault rifles along with M-4A carbines have been found with militants in Jammu and Kashmir. It is estimated that the American troops have left behind over 6.5 of these types of rifles in Afghanistan during their hasty exit.
