With the discovery of such “difficult-to-detect (d2d)” improvised explosive devices during a recent police operation in Union territory, liquid explosives appear to have returned to the Jammu and Kashmir militant scene after a 17-year hiatus, according to officials.
One of the Over Ground Workers (OGW) who was detained following a gunfight in Pulwama earlier this month that claimed the lives of Riyaz Dar, alias “Sathar,” one of the last living Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, and his colleague Rayees Dar, helped recover the liquid IED.
After joining the outlawed LeT in 2014, Riyaz Dar collaborated closely with the terrorists from Pakistan who were killed, Abu Dujana and Abu Ismail. He took part in numerous acts related to terrorism.
Rayees Dar was rated as ‘A’ and had a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh, whilst Riyaz, who was classified as an A++ terrorist, had a reward of Rs 10 lakh.
Police immediately clamped down on OGWs who were assisting the Lashkar militants and detained four of them following the gunfight.
During questioning, one of the OGWs reportedly told the officials that Shakir Bashir, Sajjad Ganie, and Bilal Ahmed Lone—all Nihama in Pulwama residents—had given the terrorists sanctuary and logistical support.
After the OGW network was discovered, these three people were taken into custody.
The OGWs told the police that the two terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba had manufactured liquid IEDs over the course of the inquiry. They were hidden in the orchards by Bashir.
The IEDs, which were about 6 kg in weight and were kept in a plastic container, were destroyed by army explosive experts because they were deemed unsafe.
The officials claim that this poses a greater risk because explosives of this type can be classified as d2d since they are not detectable by sniffer dogs or traditional detectors like those used by the Road Opening Party (RoP).
Terrorist groups utilized liquid explosives in south Kashmir in 2007, but they were not observed over the ensuing ten years of unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the sources, intelligence reports have indicated that terror groups based in Pakistan are now planning to employ liquid explosives.
Jammu and Kashmir Police seized weapons and ammo from the international border in Jammu in February 2022. The confiscation also included three vials of a white liquid that had been dumped by drones flying in from Pakistan.
The officials stated that a definitive report was needed, although forensic examination suggested that it might be trinitrotoluene (TNT) or nitroglycerine, which are typically used in dynamites.
The white liquid explosive material was part of a shipment dropped by drones on February 24, 2022, after taking off from Pakistan’s neighbor. It was packaged in three one-liter bottles.
Although intelligence inputs indicate that some drone droppings may have been successful, the officials did not completely rule out the idea that such bombs could have made their way into the Kashmir valley.
The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s external swooping agency, has opted to use drones to drop weapons from the air. The ISI has been giving tactical support to terrorist organizations that are outlawed, such as the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen, operating from across the border.
