Multiple drones were sighted along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Naushera-Rajouri sector, said defence sources on Sunday. They said that the Indian Army employed counter-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) measures, forcing the drones to return.
One of the drones was sighted around 6.35 pm over the Gania-Kalsian village in the Nowshera sector, while another one was spotted at 6.35 pm at Khabbar village in Teryath in the Rajouri district.
According to the sources, the drones came from the Pakistani side and were hovering over the Indian territory before the Indian Army troops opened fire at them using light machine guns (LMGs) and medium machine guns (MMGs), forcing them to return.
Suspicious satellite phone communication traced near border
Earlier in the day, security forces had traced suspicious satellite phone communication along the International Border (IB) in the Kanachak area of Jammu and Kashmir. This prompted the Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and the Army to launch a joint search operation.
According to officials, the communication was traced using a Thuraya satellite device. They suspect that the communication was allegedly made by terrorists near Kanachak, which has been used for infiltration in the past.
During Operation Sindoor, which India launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India had shot down several Pakistani drones. Since then, drone sighting has reduced along the LoC and the IB but Pakistan keeps trying to monitor Indian security forces through UAVs in the region.
On Friday night, security forces had also recovered an arms consignment that was allegedly dropped by a drone that originated in Pakistan, in Paloora village of Ghagwal near the IB in Samba district. The recovery included two pistols, three magazines, 16 rounds and a grenade, according to officials.
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