Emergence of M4 rifles in Kashmir sheds light on Pak connection

According to sources in Kabul, the M4 was being brought to be used in India not from Kabul but from multiple other sources by terrorist groups.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

The emergence of M4 carbine guns in the hands of terrorists coming from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir has put the spotlight on Kabul, with narratives and reports suggesting that these weapons were being exclusively procured and arranged from Afghanistan, where the Taliban are in power.

These narratives, not surprisingly, have been traced to channels that identify their interest with Western countries.

India, prioritizing its strategic interests and longstanding ties, is one of the few countries that has maintained a positive working relationship with the Taliban government in Kabul, a move that has been met with disapproval from certain entities.

In the recent terror attack at a workers' camp in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, in which seven people were killed, CCTV footage showed the terrorists armed with M4 guns.

However, according to sources based in Kabul, the M4 type of gun was being brought to be used in India not from Kabul but from multiple other sources by these terrorist groups.

Taliban sources said that when the American and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces were operating in Afghanistan, they were being supplied essential items, including arms and ammunition, via Karachi in Pakistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), which borders Afghanistan.