For the first time ever National Security Guards (NSG) commandos are training to take part in anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir alongside other security forces in the state. The elite special forces with their sophisticated weapons will assist operations especially against the holed-up militants in built-up areas, said an official, adding, “they are training and doing drills with other forces to build synergy during operations.” More commandos are expected to join the training at the end of which the forces’ will assist in anti-militancy operations whenever required, sources said. With the Home Ministry having approved the induction of NSG towards operations in Kashmir, over a dozen NSG commandos have been camping at the Border Security Force camp at Humhma, on the outskirts of Srinagar city, and have been training and doing drills for over a week to acquaint themselves with the anti-militancy operations. The deployment of NSG commandos, sources said is aimed at reducing the forces’ casualties, especially when militants are holed up inside buildings or houses. At least 116 security personnel have lost their lives in Kashmir since the beginning of 2017. At present, the anti-militancy operations are being carried out by the police, Army and Central Reserve Police Force.<doc-sep>The home ministry recently deployed its counter-terrorism force, the National Security Guards (NSG) in Jammu and Kashmir to conduct counter-terrorist operations. Earlier, one team of 100 commandos was deployed in the valley last year for nearly six months until January this year. These were commandos from the all-Army unit of the Special Action Group within the NSG. The new deployments will be of NSG personnel from the five hubs set up post the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks in five Indian cities to handle 26/11 style attacks by gunmen. Each hub has a mix of around 200 commandos drawn from the Indian Army and central police forces on deputation to the MHA. Set up in Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and more recently, Ahmedabad in 2017, these hubs were meant to make up for the lack of specialised SWAT units in these cities. NSG personnel from these hubs are to be rotated through the Valley to give them combat experience in actual operations. Sources say this move has been sanctioned by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. One reason for this induction is because the hubs were atrophying-- officer or soldier would go through an entire tenure of between three and five years without firing a shot in an actual operation. The NSG was first deployed in the Valley during the 1989 kidnapping of then home minister Mufti Mohammad Saeed's daughter Rubaiya. The MHA anticipated a possible hostage-rescue operation but the home minister's daughter was released in exchange for five Kashmiri militants. The NSG remained in the valley till around 1993 and subsequent attempts by the force to re-enter operations in the valley proved unsuccesful. What does the re-induction of India's only federal counter-terrorist force mean for the conduct of operations in a state where all of India's special forces-- drawn from the army, navy, air force and the R&AW-- are concurrently deployed? The NSG has a specialised skill set of fighting in built up areas. They are trained in house intervention where it storms confined spaces to neutralise terrorists and rescue hostages. These urban interventions are backed by snipers which ring targets with their PSG-1 sniper rifles which have an effective range of 800 metres. What utility house-intervention will have in the Valley is a moot point considering there are very few hostage situations. Except in the case of high-value targets, commanders could be loathe to risk the lives of their troops to flush out militants hiding inside houses. Engagements with militants are at ranges of over 100 metres where the NSG's close-quarter skills for which they train using MP-5 carbines, will be ineffective. This is where the NSG snipers can play a role by neutralising targets at long ranges, officials say. Inductees into the NSG's sniper detachments expend thousands of rounds at the force's training campus in Manesar to imbibe the specialised art of accurate long-range shooting with their PSG-1 rifles. "The NSG snipers can become formidable force multipliers provided they are used well," a government official told India Today. There are concerns however of the equipment deficiencies within the force, particularly within the sniper detachments which could prevent them from being effective force-multipliers. The force has not upgraded its sniper kit ever since its raising over thirty years ago. Around a dozen modern Barret M82 12.7 mm heavy sniping rifles held by the NSG faces a critical shortage of ammunition. The PSG-1 rifles chambered for 7.62x51 mm ammunition lack Picatinny rails (a firearm interface which allows for accessories like weapon sights to be fitted on) which means it cannot use night sights or thermal sights. Sniper detachments don't have modern spotting scopes with ballistic computers which allow them a clear view of the target and prevailing environment conditions. These deficiencies are even more acute in the NSG hubs. The deployment in the Valley could hopefully spur a debate on the NSG's sniping skills and a need to urgently address their shortfalls. ALSO READ | Amarnath Yatris to be protected by NSG Black Cat commandos, drones this year ALSO WATCH | J&K Governor NN Vohra to chair all-party meet; Terror threat looms over Amarnath Yatra; more<doc-sep>Jun 23, 2018, 07:19PM IST Source: TNN The NSG commandos will give anti-terror training to J&K cops apart from taking part in operations based on intelligence inputs. The commandos can quickly launch attacks on land, air or water. They are also trained in close quarter combat and in defusing explosives.<doc-sep>
Security agencies have had several high-level meetings to make a fool proof security plan for the Amarnath Yatra this year. (Source: PTI) Days after Indian intelligence agencies learned of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) plans of carrying out terror attacks on the holy Amarnath Yatra, the Union government has dispatched a team of National Security Guards (NSG) to Srinagar. The specially trained Black Cat NSG commandos have been asked to be on standby to deal with any terror or hostage-like situation. They will also be stationed at Srinagar airport to tackle any eventuality. The Amarnath Yatra this year begins on June 28 and will continue for two months. READ| Security beefed up as terror threat looms over Amarnath Yatra NSG commandos being sent to Jammu and Kashmir have been equipped with the latest range of weapons. This follows the central government's decision to resume anti-terror operations in the state following the suspension of Ramzan ceasefire. Earlier, CRPF IG Ravideep Sahi had confirmed to India Today TV that there were strong inputs from agencies of a possible terror attack. "There is a higher level of threat perception to Amarnath Yatra this year. There are terror groups working alone as well as terror groups like Lashkar, Hizb and Jaish working as hybrid terror groups. Security forces are working hard to fend off any such terror attacks," he told India Today TV. This year security agencies have had multiple high-level meetings for a full-proof plan. Additional security forces have also been deployed this year. An extensive plan includes the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) stickers for vehicles carrying yatris to aid security forces keep track of movement. Installation of RFID tags in vehicles used by pilgrims will aid in better coordination and use of drones for the surveillance of suspicious activities. The RFID tags will be installed on vehicles when an individual or tour operator registers to travel to Kashmir for Amarnath Yatra. At least 10-15 drones will operate through the day to monitor yatris. A 24X7 helpline number 1364 will start two days before the yatra. Additional CCTV cameras, bulletproof bunkers, dog squads and quick reaction teams on the yatra route will also be in place. Satellites are likely to track the movement of pilgrims. (Inputs from Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu) READ| Former top cop who killed Veerappan heads to Kashmir READ| Rajnath Singh to review security arrangements for Amarnath yatra