IED attacks rise as terrorists, insurgents change strategy
Experts say IEDs are being used so as to avoid direct confrontation with security forces
NEW DELHI: Terrorists and insurgents in Jammu and Kashmir, Maoist-affected states, the northeast and other parts of the country used more improvised bombs to target security forces and the public last year compared to 2020.
An analysis on the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) of the elite counter-terrorism force, the National Security Guard (NSG), said 132 such blasts took place across the country in 2021 in which 80 people were killed. In 2020, 120 blasts with 40 fatalities were recorded. However, due to the alertness of the security forces, an all-time high recovery of 536 crude bombs was also made in 2021, 311 more than 2020, the analysis showed.
Most IED attacks – 55 out of 132 last year – were carried out by Maoists, followed by 50 by terror groups in other parts of the country. Sixteen attacks took place in Jammu and Kashmir, while 11 were recorded in the northeastern states.
In 2020, 49 bomb blasts were carried out by Maoists, 12 by terrorists in Kashmir and 11 by insurgents in the northeast. Forty-eight IED attacks took place in the hinterland, the analysis showed.
“IED blasts have increased across the country, except in the northeast. Terrorists are relying more on IEDs to avoid direct confrontation with security forces. But the agencies have done an exemplary job in tracing IEDs as well,” a counter-terrorism officer said, requesting anonymity.
Besides a rise in bomb attacks last year, agencies have seen a sudden shift to use of victim-operated IEDs by terrorists and insurgents, who no longer prefer to be present at the spot, the officer said. A victim-operated IED is set up by the perpetrators in a way that the victim unknowingly causes it to explode. “In India, terrorists have conventionally preferred command mechanism to trigger the IEDs, and this was consistent till 2020. However, this trend changed last year, when more victim-operated IEDs were planted,” a second officer said on condition of anonymity. A command-based IED is the one where terrorists explode the bomb through command wire, radio control or suicide switch.
The analysis also found increasing use of high explosives in IED attacks in India, particularly those carried out by Maoists. In 2021, high explosives were used for 67% of all crude bomb attacks. This ratio was 62% of high explosives compared with 38% of low explosives the previous year. High explosives, or detonating explosives such as dynamite and ammonium nitrate, are commercially available in India and. They used in mines and stone quarries. Mumbai-based internal security expert Sameer Patil said: “As the 2019 Pulwama attack showed, IEDs can wreak real havoc on security forces. Over the years, in Kashmir valley and in Maoist-infested areas, security forces have sustained many casualties due to the IEDs and roadside bombs.”
“To counter this threat, forces have taken several measures like an advanced party to secure roads and undertake demining initiatives. Expanded use of robotic systems to defuse IEDs can help,” Patil added.