Posted on 02/03/2003 10:30:19 AM PST by swarthyguy
NEW DELHI: In order to have a 'mini replica' of September 11 attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan's ISI has directed militants, especially of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), to use toy planes to target Army posts and VIPs.
Quoting an interrogation report of a LeT militant arrested in the state, informed sources said that the ISI had handed over a "fleet" of four dozen such planes, capable of carrying 10-15 kg of RDX, to LeT for carrying out an attack on Army posts or helicopter gunships of the Indian Air Force.
The sources said that two such planes were recovered recently from Rajouri district of Jammu region. The toy planes, which can be operated by remote control, take a set trajectory and hit a target within a range of 300 metres.
The arrested militant said that the plane was displayed at a Lashkar congregation in Pakistan. The militant was unable to give any further information about the toy plane but told his interrogators that the plane had flown out of his sight during its trial, the sources said.
The militant had said that the ISI wanted to repeat the September 11 bombing of the World Trade Centre towers in the US by carrying out similar attacks, though using these toy planes, the sources said.
The arrested militant revealed that the ISI was also planning to destroy some of the forward Indian positions at the Line of Control and international border using these toy planes.
The sources said that this way, the ISI could use the plane from across the border and try to hit a forward Indian post, though such a strike might lack precision, the sources said.
The toy plane could be folded inside a small briefcase and smuggled into the Valley, the sources said and added that the two seized planes in Rajouri were meant for transporting to Jammu for carrying out attacks at important installations and VIPs.
The planes were being assembled in the Lashkar-dominated area of Muridkee in Pakistan, the sources said.
Meanwhile, in the wake of such reports, the security agencies have again reviewed the security of important VIPs, including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and State Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.
A special watch was being kept during the landing and taking off of the state aircraft carrying VIPs from one place to another in the State.
This was proposed at some other Big Poobah conference a few years ago.
They took it seriously.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.