Why terrorists using Austrian assault rifle in J&K is a major worry

The first instance of a weapon recovery from terrorists in J&K dates back to September 12, 1988, when an assault rifle was recovered from terrorist Aijaz Dar. Dar was killed during an attack on the residence of then Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ali Mohammad Watali in Srinagar’s Raj Bagh area.

The weapon, later identified as a Kalashnikov, was not standard issue for either the police or the Indian Army. The AK-47, developed by Russian designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in the mid-20th century, became the iconic firearm for the Soviet Army in 1949.

Since 1988, terrorists in J&K have evolved to use long-range sniper rifles and multiple AK variants like the AK-54 and AK-74. These weapons were supplied from Pakistan where such arms proliferated due to the conflict in Afghanistan.

“The possession of AK assault rifles by the terrorists unequivocally established that they had been trained and issued weapons by trainers of the Pakistan army. Due to the presence of the Russians in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s support to the Afghan militias, AK rifles were aplenty in Pakistan since practically no border existed between the two countries at that time,” a senior intelligence officer told IANS.

With the influx of foreign mercenaries into J&K in the mid-1990s, terrorists began employing improved versions of AK rifles and under-barrel grenade launchers (UBGLs). In response, the Indian government deployed Para commandos and specialized mountain warfare units.

“J&K Police also underwent a sweeping change in its training of commandos, use and expertise of modern assault rifles and strenuous training in developing stamina and focus. Commitment to eradicate terrorism and usher in peace was the preamble of such training,” a senior police officer, who supervises physical and weapon handling training of the local police force, told IANS.

A new challenge emerged in July 2022 with terrorists adopting the M4 carbine rifle. This US-made rifle, adopted by the American military for its superior firing power, replaced older submachine guns and handguns.

More recently, on July 17, 2024, a Steyr AUG assault rifle was seized from two foreign terrorists who were killed in the Keran sector. The Steyr AUG, adopted by the Austrian Armed Forces in 1977, is renowned for its reliability and is comparable to the Israeli Tavor assault rifle in terms of performance.

“The Steyr bullpup assault rifle is only matched by the Israeli-made Tavor assault rifle. Tavor is a gas-operated, selective-fire bullpup assault rifle built around a long-stroke piston system. The main objective behind the development of Tavor is to maximise reliability, durability, simplicity of design, and maintenance-free, particularly under unfavourable or battlefield conditions,” an arms expert said.

He further said, “Tavor has a semi-automatic mode, burst mode and full-auto mode chambered in standard 5.56×45 mm ammunition. It is considered to be more reliable and accurate than M4 carbine of the US and Steyr of Austria. The Tavor TAR-21 holds magazines of 30 rounds.”

According to another senior police officer deployed on anti-terrorism ops, “A review had become necessary of the bulletproof vests issued to the security forces. The older version of the BP jacket wouldn’t suffice to meet the new challenge. Better and lighter BP jackets have been issued to security forces fighting terrorism and these are designed to stop the armour-piercing bullets.”

A senior intelligence officer echoed the sentiment. He said, “As challenges are in plenty for the security forces fighting terrorism in J&K, weapons systems, armour-resistant apparel and other equipment used by our security forces are regularly and constantly reviewed.”

“At the same time, a couple of M4 carbine rifles or Austrian bullpup assault rifles cannot save the terrorist from a professionally trained and highly modernised army of India,” he added.