Jammu: In a first-of-its-kind attack in India, two blasts occurred by explosives dropped from a drone rocked the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Jammu, in the wee hours of Sunday leaving two persons injured.
A preliminary investigation into the twin blasts inside the high-security zone of Air Force Station Jammu confirmed that drones were used to carry out the attack.
An official said that two low-intensity blasts took place at around 0140 hours at Air Force Station Jammu.
Indian Air Force said that the two low-intensity explosions were reported early on Sunday morning in the technical area of Jammu Air Force Station.
“One caused minor damage to the roof of a building while the other exploded in an open area,” the Air Force tweeted.
“There was no damage to any equipment. The investigation is in progress along with civil agencies,” the tweet read.
Meanwhile, an official here said that the Heli disbursal building has been targeted at two places, roof and the side, which is next to the Air Force Signal complex.
“The ceiling and window panes have been damaged due to blast,” said the official.
Two Air Force men WO Arvind Singh and LAC S K Singh have suffered minor injuries and were given first aid.
Top military sources say this is being treated as a serious incident. A National Investigation Agency team is also at the airport, which is around 16 km from the border with Pakistan.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Air Force Vice Chief Air Marshal HS Arora and Air Marshal Vikram Singh will be at Jammu for investigations, said ministry officials.
The Jammu airport in the city’s Satwari area is a dual use facility are under the IAF control and is also used to operate passenger flights.
News agency ANI quoted sources as saying that the possible target of the drones was an aircraft parked in the dispersal area.
The incident took place hours before the Defence Minister and Army Chief General MM Naravane began a three-day visit to Ladakh to review India’s operational readiness and to interact with the troops in the backdrop of a drawn-out standoff with China.
There have been reports over the past two years of Pakistan using drones to drop weapons across the border. With agency inputs
