NEW DELHI – Indian elite National Security Guards (NSG) has approached thehome ministry and top national security planners for permission to send its“house intervention teams (HIT)” in support of counter-terrorism operationsconducted by the army and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
North Block officials confirmed this and said NSG is doing this in order tomaintain its cutting edge as well as acquire much-needed on-fieldoperational experience for its experts.
The NSG proposal comes in the wake of security forces losing troopers inhigh-risk house intervention operations, used to neutralise holed upterrorists or fidayeens (suicide attackers) in densely populated localitiesof the valley.
Normally, security forces try to tire out the terrorists by constantlyfiring at the adversary with high caliber weapons. The rate of firing isoften such that the structure collapses or catches fire with the holed upterrorists being collateral damage.
The NSG HIT teams use state of the art Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machineguns, gas guns, M 107 Barret sniper rifles, through-the-wall radars, cornershot rifles and C-4 explosives to neutralize holed-up terrorists withminimum casualties and damage to the structure. A typical NSG HIT team hassix troopers led by a non-commissioned officer along with demolitionexperts and crack marksmen.
While the Modi government is considering NSG’s proposal positively, theelite force has also offered to let its HIT teams serve under the commandand control of the army in special counter terrorism operations in theValley. A similar offer has been made by NSG to CRPF, a paramilitary forceinvolved in counter-insurgency activities in the restive state.