Gurdaspur Attack: LeT Terrorists Used GPS Sets to Navigate

The GPS sets have often been used by terrorists to operate in unfamiliar environments, like in the 26/11 attacks.

Preliminary investigations into the Gurdaspur terror strike indicate that the three suspected Lashker-e-Taiba militants had entered the country through Bamiyal village in Pathankot, located close to the international border. A large amount of data in fact has been gleaned from the GPS sets carried by the terrorists.

GPS sets are often used by terrorists to operate in alien territories as it helps in guiding them by tracking digital “way points”. One of the most popular incidents wherein militants have used GPS to navigate in India were the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Prior Warnings Ignored

In early July, the Intelligence Bureau had warned the Ministry of Home Affairs that several military stations in close proximity to the border area are under threat. According to a report by The Indian Express, the 26 Infantry Division, based in Jammu, and the 29 Infantry Division, based in Pathankot, were considered at “special risk” as they were the closest to the border and have been targetted in the past.

Shockingly, in one of the warnings issued by IB, it had stated that terror groups were planning to infiltrate from the east of Gharot – it did not, however, mention a specific date or target.

What is particularly baffling is that, despite an attack on Raj Bagh police station in nearby Kathua in March, no arrangements for counter-terrorism were made by Punjab Police in case a similar attack happened again.

Cross-border Drug Cartels

The Indian Express report also revealed that there are possibilities that border area drug cartels may have helped the terrorists by passing critical information to them. Sources of the English daily claim that the cartels told the militants about the bus routes and the lack of security at specific police stations which led to Dinanagar becoming their primary target.

The report also claimed that these cartels have strong links to Pakistan’s ISI and some terror organisations. A senior army official expressed worry that these cartels might be trading information in return for safe passage for their drug consignments.

According to the IE report, in 2014, the BSF recovered a record 361 kg of heroin, mainly of Afghan origin, along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab. This year, over 125 kg has been seized.

Watch Praveen Swamy, an Indian journalist, analyst and author specialising on international strategic and security issues analyse the Gurdaspur Terror Attacks for The Indian Express.