An investigation is underway into a possible drone attack on Sunday (June 27) on an air base in northern India which, if confirmed, would be the first of its kind, raising concerns about the possible vulnerability of Indian military installations.
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Two low-intensity explosions were reported early Sunday morning in the technical area of the air force base in Jammu (in the disputed region of Kashmir with Pakistan, editor's note). One caused slight damage to the roof of a building while the other occurred in an open location
, ”the Indian Air Force tweeted. “
No equipment was damaged. An investigation is underway,
”she added. "
A drone with an explosive charge
" is suspected of having been used to "
drop the explosive material
", for his part said in a statement the director general of the police of the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Dilbagh Singh. He called it a "
terrorist attack
This incident, in an interview with the PTI press agency, without however naming any suspect individuals or groups.
The Indian Express newspaper for its part wrote that two people had so far been arrested in connection with this case and that there had been two minor injuries on the base.
A team of investigators from the counterterrorism services visited the city of Jammu, an official told AFP.
Retired General DS Hooda, who until 2016 was the head of the Northern Command, pointed out that while Indian radars can detect planes and large unmanned vehicles, it may not have been not the case with drones.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from the British Crown and the partition of 1947. It has caused two of the three wars that have opposed them since. These two countries, now nuclear powers, claim the entirety of this Himalayan region mainly populated by Muslims where India has also been facing for more than thirty years a separatist insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of people, mainly civilians. .