The government forces in Jammu and Kashmir have strengthened the bullet-proofing shield of their vehicles and bunkers after steel bullets that can pierce through normal protective shields were recovered from militants during a gunfight in south Kashmir recently, reported Press Trust of India.
A few days back, local commander of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group, Vilayat Hussain Lone alias Sajjad Afghani, was killed in a gunfight at Shopian. The army had recovered thirty-six rounds of armed steel-core bullets.
The recoveries raised alarm bells within the security establishment as these bullets can harm personnel even wearing a regular protective shield.
Unnamed officials told the agency that now the vehicles, especially deployed in south Kashmir, and personnel moving for anti-militancy operations are equipped with shields which have an extra layer of protection for blunting such penetrative bullets.
The ammunition normally used in the AK series rifles was being modified from across the border with the help of Chinese technology of encasing bullets with hard steel core, the officials added.
The bullet, termed Armour Piercing (AP), is built of hardened steel or tungsten carbide, they explained.
They said that the militants, mainly from a banned Jaish group, were armed with the best possible arsenal including M-4 carbines and bullets with steel core, with the capability to pierce a static bullet proof bunker used during countermilitancy operations.
