Drones new Over Ground Workers

The rise of drone technology has opened a new and dangerous chapter in global terrorism, with UAVs now being used by terror groups for a variety of nefarious operations, including intelligence collection and the delivery of explosives

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Drones have emerged as the new "Over Ground Workers" (OGWs) for terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir, causing concern among security agencies as this shift from human networks to unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance and logistics marks a new frontier in the region's security landscape, officials said here Wednesday.

The reliance on the human network of OGWs has drastically been cut down as many of them have been arrested or have gone into hiding due to increasing pressure from the security forces, they said.

The shift from human networks to drone technology is a new frontier in asymmetric warfare, with Pakistan's ISI also intensifying its efforts to push terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC) with the help of drones, the officials said.

Some of the terrorists holed up in heights in the Kashmir region, as well as in Kishtwar and Rajouri, have been using these drones for maintaining surveillance over the approaching troops, they said while citing it as a reason for the little success in past counter-terror operations.

The drones, in some instances, are believed to be carrying dry ration for the holed-up terrorists in the higher reaches of the Jammu region, the officials said.