New Delhi: Turkey-made pistol Canik-TP9 has become a major headache for security forces in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) as hybrid as well as hardcore terrorists in the region have been using this lightweight pistol for targeted killings. Following encounters and arrests made by the security agencies in the last few weeks, a good number of Canik-TP9 pistols have been recovered from the accused.
A senior official from the security establishment told ETV Bharat on Friday that more than 25 Turkish-manufactured pistols have been recovered from the terrorists till now in 2022. "As it is lightweight and easy to handle, terrorists are now using this Turkey's pistol quite often. Moreover, it hits the target almost accurately," said the official.
In two different encounters that took place in Kashmir in the last three weeks, one terrorist has been killed while another over-ground worker (OGW) was arrested by the security agencies. Arms and ammunition including one Canik-TP9 pistol have been recovered from their possession.
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"Apart from supplying Chinese-made weapons, the state actors in Pakistan are also providing Turkish-made pistols to the terrorists," the official said. As per data, as many as 178 terrorists including 52 foreign terrorists and 126 local terrorists have been gunned down by security agencies this year in J&K.
"At least 135 terrorists are still active in J&K at present. Of the total active terrorists, 53 are local and 82 are foreign terrorists," the official said, adding, "local terrorists also include hybrid terrorists."
Security agencies have been put on high alert in J&K following intelligence reports that at least 150 terrorists are waiting in the vicinity across the border to sneak into India. "During the winter, the terrorists and infiltrators always try to sneak into India. So, all the security agencies have been put on maximum alert," the official said.
As per intelligence reports, there are at least 300 active terror camps in PoK and in the surrounding areas of the Line of Control (LoC). Security agencies believe that the terrorist will definitely try to sneak into India using tunnels. A few months back, a large tunnel has also been detected by the Border Security Force (BSF) from along the India-Pakistan border.
