Srinagar: The elite National Security Guard (NSG) is likely to be deployed soon in anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir which is under Governor's rule, officials said.
Srinagar: The elite National Security Guard (NSG) is likely to be deployed soon in anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir which is under Governor's rule, officials said. The state on Wednesday was placed under under Governor's rule for the fourth time in the last 10 years after the BJP ended its coalition government with Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Officials said a team of NSG, popularly known as 'Black Cats', has been stationed in the Kashmir Valley and is undergoing rigorous training. About two dozen snipers have been training here since the last two weeks. The decision for deployment of NSG commandos in Kashmir was cleared last month by the Home ministry. The ministry also hopes to have 100 NSG men positioned at the BSF station.
The move comes in the wake of rising incidents of encounters where security forces lost many soldiers during high-risk house intervention operations. Officials say there are high casualties when the security forces take on terrorists who are holed up inside buildings. The NSG, along with their house intervention team commandos, will also have demolition experts for handling such situations.
The commandos use sophisticated Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machine guns, snipper rifles, through-the-wall radar and C-4 explosives to eliminate holed up terrorists without causing much damage to the structure. The teams will be kept at the disposal of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, which is the nodal agency for all anti-militancy operations, they added.
While the Home ministry is upbeat about deploying the NSG in the Valley, counter-terror experts feel that the Black Cats would be helpful in a situation where room-to-room intervention is required. The experts said such situations rarely come during a counter-militancy operation as it is a do-or-die battle for the forces.
Officials said a team of NSG, popularly known as 'Black Cats', has been stationed in the Kashmir Valley and is undergoing rigorous training. About two dozen snipers have been training here since the last two weeks. The decision for deployment of NSG commandos in Kashmir was cleared last month by the Home ministry. The ministry also hopes to have 100 NSG men positioned at the BSF station.
The move comes in the wake of rising incidents of encounters where security forces lost many soldiers during high-risk house intervention operations. Officials say there are high casualties when the security forces take on terrorists who are holed up inside buildings. The NSG, along with their house intervention team commandos, will also have demolition experts for handling such situations.
The commandos use sophisticated Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machine guns, snipper rifles, through-the-wall radar and C-4 explosives to eliminate holed up terrorists without causing much damage to the structure. The teams will be kept at the disposal of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, which is the nodal agency for all anti-militancy operations, they added.
While the Home ministry is upbeat about deploying the NSG in the Valley, counter-terror experts feel that the Black Cats would be helpful in a situation where room-to-room intervention is required. The experts said such situations rarely come during a counter-militancy operation as it is a do-or-die battle for the forces.