Lt General DP Pandey, Corps Commander of the 15 Corps in Srinagar on Wednesday speaking about the unexpected drone attack on Jammu Indian Air Force base said that the technology used in the attack indicate "state-support" and involvement of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
According to NDTV report, General Pandey said the Army is "well aware these assets and tech - like drones and drone warfare - are state-supported systems" and that such threats may continue and even increase.
"We are well aware that these assets and tech - drone warfare, for example - cannot just be made on the roadside. These indicate state-supported systems and technology... and state supported, or state sponsored, technology definitely indicates Jaish and Lashkar," Gen Pandey told.
In the wake of this attack, he has cautioned about revealing details of the ongoing investigation, but said an initial analysis of data indicated "a certain level of guidance from state actors".
When asked if the drones were locally operated or were flown across the border, the officer said, "the capability or capacity exists to modify drones, which are locally available as well... with a certain level of guidance from state actors, they can be modified to carry out these attacks."
Notably, in Punjab in August 2019, a crashed drone was found in a village in Amritsar. The following month, terrorists arrested by security forces allegedly revealed drugs and weapons had been dropped in the state over eight separate drone flights.
"This threat is live and going to keep on increasing... but we are aware and have taken advanced measures over the past few days to re-orient ourselves. As a unit, the Army is looking for proactive solutions and I am very confident that we can take care of this challenge as well," the General said.
He also said that the Kashmir Valley security situation was potentially the best in the past four or five years.
