Latest news with #M4s
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Border agents shoot out boat engines to stop smugglers
(NewsNation) — Border agents trying to stop smugglers from reaching the U.S. are now facing high-stakes situations at sea as the southern border tightens. The number of smugglers attempting to reach the U.S. by sea has been picking up, nearly doubling on the eastern side of the country. With the southern border essentially locked down, smugglers are retaking old routes, and Customs and Border Protection's air and marine operations interdiction agents are working together to force smugglers to stop. DHS crackdown on gang members in nationwide sweep In a recent incident, marine interdiction agents were forced to disable a vessel after it blew past the Mexican navy and U.S. Coast Guard, refusing to stop. One of the agents shot out the engines of the boat, which were actually very small and located below the water. The agent who carried out the seemingly impossible task was on board during a NewsNation ridealong and said it was actually his first time shooting out an engine. 'We have basically the same authorities as Border Patrol,' said Brandon Tucker, who is with the Air and Marine branch of Customs and Border Protection. 'We just kind of translate them to the maritime environment. But we're locked arms. You're not getting by us, and we leverage our partnerships for when we want to do a significant prosecution of a smuggler with enhancements.' In the past several years, 350 vessels have been stopped by force, the engines shot out by law enforcement after boat operators refused to stop. The unit NewsNation was riding with has already had 17 engine shootouts this year, the deputy director saying they are on pace to break a record. Police arrest more people outside New Jersey ICE facility Often, boat or jet ski operators will dump people or drugs into the water when spotted to avoid smuggling charges. They'll even blend in with the migrants when agents approach, but reconnaissance tools like cameras help identify the smugglers. There's about a 25% chance that agents are going to have to shoot out an engine during the day if a vessel shows up, and at night, that probability doubles to about 50%, as smugglers think they have a better shot at getting away under the cover of darkness. But agents don't just start shooting. There is a process to ensure everyone is safe. It's called the small boat interception protocol, and agents will first approach the vessel and order it to stop. If they don't, warning shots will be fired. If the operator still won't stop, the engines are shot out and the vessel is disabled. US cattle ban to last 15 days, president of Mexico says 'These guys don't know what they're running into until they're alongside, and they have to put on the law enforcement hat when it's drug smugglers, where you've got M4s trained on them, ready to take care of business,' said Tucker. 'Then in a moment, you're like okay, it's migrants. Let's put that down and let's make sure that situation is safe.' In all 350 engine shootouts they have had, zero injuries have been reported, something the deputy director is attributing to the training and professionalism of the agents. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
News18
27-04-2025
- News18
Baisaran Reels Videographer, Who Recorded Entire Pahalgam Attack, Is NIA's Key Witness
Last Updated: 'This local photographer ran for his life when firing began and perched himself on a tree. But he kept videographing the entire terror attack,' a senior official told News18 A local videographer, who filmed reels for tourists in Baisaran, has emerged as a key witness for the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which began its probe into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, News18 has exclusively learnt. Officials revealed that the local photographer captured the entire terror attack as it unfolded. 'This local photographer ran for his life when firing began and perched himself on a tree to escape the bullets. But he kept videographing the event as it unfolded and recorded the entire terror attack," a senior official told CNN-News18. The NIA has questioned the videographer and is analysing the videos he shot to identify the terrorists and possible overground workers (OGWs) who may have assisted them. Initial investigations have indicated that four terrorists divided into two groups and fired from two sides of the meadow. According to eyewitness accounts, two gunmen were stationed near snack shops selling refreshments. 'Around 2:30 pm, two terrorists hiding behind the shops emerged. They first asked the non-locals snacking there for their religion. A few were asked to recite the kalma; those who couldn't were killed," the officer said. The NIA believes this was not indiscriminate firing, as initially suspected. 'They took specific aim at the head of each identified victim," agency officials said. Panic, according to survivors, erupted when the first two terrorists fatally shot four tourists in the head. The other two terrorists then emerged from the vicinity of the zip line and began firing at the fleeing crowd. PHONES SNATCHED The terrorists also reportedly seized two mobile phones, one belonging to a tourist and the other to a local. Agencies are tracking both phones, as they could provide crucial evidence regarding the terrorists' current location or movements. However, sources revealed that both devices have been switched off since the incident. The NIA has also recovered empty cartridges of AK-47 and M4 rifles. 'M4s have been used by Pakistani terrorists since the Afghan war ended, serving as further proof of who is behind this," an intelligence agency official commented. LOCAL TERRORIST IDENTIFIED Investigative teams believe that at least one of the four terrorists involved was a local, Adil Thokar. According to the JK police dossier, Thokar was radicalised and joined Hizbul Mujahideen in 2018. He allegedly crossed over to Pakistan on valid documents, leaving Hizbul Mujahideen to join Lashkar-e-Taiba. After training with Lashkar, he reportedly returned to the Valley in 2024. It is alleged that Thokar has since assisted Pakistani terrorists with logistics and even acted as a guide in other terror attacks.
Indian Express
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
This Word Means: M4 carbine
Why now? A preliminary investigation into the deadly attack on tourists near Pahalgam has revealed that the terrorists opened fire with AK-47s, and more interestingly, American-made M4 carbines. Why is this significant? Russian-origin AKs are the weapon of choice for most militants, terrorists, and rebel groups around the world. Their simplicity, reliability, and affordability make them ideal for combatants with limited means, operating for long durations in difficult conditions without much logistics support. American weapons do not fit this bill. In general, they require better training and upkeep to be effective, and are much more expensive — cons which do not always balance out the pros of them being lighter, more versatile, and more accurate. This is what makes an M4 carbine a somewhat unlikely weapon in the hands of terrorists, especially in a part of the world where knock-off AKs are a dime a dozen. That the Pahalgam attackers carried M4s indicates they are highly sophisticated operatives, and not the run-of-the-mill disgruntled youth. That said, it is not completely unheard of for terrorists to carry M4s, especially in the very recent past. How did the terrorists obtain M4s? There are two possible explanations for how the Pahalgam attackers got hold of M4 carbines. The first is to do with the United States's exit from Afghanistan in 2021. At the time they pulled out from Kabul, the Americans had been fighting in the country for two decades. In the process, they had developed massive stockpiles of weapons in Afghanistan — much of which they left behind, ostensibly for the Afghan forces to use against the Taliban. Of course, the Afghan resistance folded almost immediately after the American exit, leaving the Taliban with the weaponry left behind. While some of this the Taliban kept for itself, huge caches of guns and ammo were sold to the highest bidder in Afghanistan's busy arms markets. The beneficiaries: a motley collection of rebel groups, militias, tribal warlords, and, of course, terrorists. The other explanation for how the terrorists got hold of weapons is more straightforward: they were supplied by the Pakistani state, presumably the ISI. Pakistan also has a decent stockpile of M4s, which is used by its special forces. Why is the M4 carbine a lethal weapon? Following the military adoption of the Armalite AR-15 as the M16 rifle in the 1960s, the United States spent two decades developing an effective carbine on the same platform. Carbines are essentially rifles which are lighter, and have a shorter barrel than a standard rifle. They are meant to be used by highly mobile units, or for urban warfare, and were originally developed as rifle-caliber arms for mounted units. The M4 carbine was officially adopted by the US in 1994, and has since seen use by over 60 militaries around the world. Chambered in the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, the M4 can fire upto 950 rounds a minute, and has a maximum effective range of around 600 metres. Weighing only 3.5 kilos (fully loaded), it is lighter than even most modern AKs with plastic magazines and stocks. And unlike older AKs, it comes with a built-in Picatinny rail, which allows for an assortment of attachments, from advanced telescopic and night vision sights, to laser guides, and even grenade launchers. Military historian Chris McNabb refers to the M4 as 'one of the defining firearms of the 21st century.' (The M4 Carbine, 2021).
The Print
24-04-2025
- The Print
Report on Pahalgam shows there was ‘real-time intel' sharing between terrorists & ‘Pakistani handlers'
Sources told ThePrint that while the exact number of shooters is yet to be confirmed, initial probe has revealed that there were four to six of them at the spot and they all spoke in Urdu and are from Pakistan. The report, accessed by ThePrint, mentions that intercepted communications and satellite surveillance indicates the existence of coordination between militants on ground and their controllers and operatives based in Pakistan, with digital footprints traced to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi. Moreover, the intel suggests that the Pahalgam attack involved 'real-time intelligence' sharing and planning, based on the manner in which it was executed. New Delhi: A status report prepared by the police on Pahalgam says that investigations, assessments, and intercepted communications have ascertained links between the terror attack and Pakistani handlers. 'This is based on eyewitness statements and initial probe,' the source said. As for the two locals whose names have surfaced in connection with the Pahalgam attack—Aadil Hussain Thoker from Bijbehara and Aasif Sheikh from Tral—sources said local residents had seen them in Anantnag in the days leading up to the attack. Intelligence records suggest that Aadil went to Pakistan in 2018 and returned this year. So far, intelligence records don't show that Aasif, too, had gone to Pakistan, sources said. Tuesday's attack claimed at least 26 lives and left 17 others injured. Armed with military-grade weapons like AK-47s and M4s, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on tourists in the lush green Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam. Victims were singled out based on their religion and shot in cold blood, while women and children were spared. After the attack, the assailants are believed to have fled into the Baisaran forest, just 100 metres from the site of the killings. The Baisaran forest is densely covered with Deodar trees. Further forensic analysis and survivors' testimony confirms logistical aid from trained handlers. The assault started at around 11 am during which, the report says, four to six heavily armed men wearing military-style fatigues ambushed the tourists. Upon failure to recite the Islamic verses, the terrorists executed the victims from a close range. The report also mentions that the brutality of the attacks and their premeditated nature suggests that it was a coordinated plan aimed at stoking communal tension and damaging the social fabric of the region. The Resistance Front, which has claimed responsibility for previous attacks in the Valley, has also claimed responsibility for this one—calling the killings a retaliatory act against what it described as 'demographic engineering' in Kashmir, a reference to the resettlement of Indians after the 2019 revocation of Article 370. According to the status report, In 2024, in the 60 terror incidents documented in Kashmir, 122 were killed including 32 civilians, 26 security personnel and 64 militants. Nearly 60 percent of the executed militants are of Pakistani origin. Following the attack Tuesday, India declared all defence advisers at Pakistan's mission in Delhi as 'persona non grata' and said they were expected to leave within a week. India also announced that it would hold the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance. Moreover, Pakistani nationals who came to India on SAARC visas have also been asked to leave within 48 hours. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also Read: 4 LeT terrorists, including 2 local men with body cams, carried out Pahalgam killings
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First Post
23-04-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Pahalgam terrorists wore military fatigues, used M4 carbine & AK-47s: Reports
At least four terrorists carried out the Pahalgam terrorist attack wearing military fatigues and using US-made M4 carbines and AK-47 assault rifles, according to reports read more Security agencies have released this image of the suspected terrorists who are responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack. Four terrorists who carried out the Pahalgam attack were wearing military fatigues and using US-made M4 carbine and AK-47 assault rifle, according to reports. Terrorists killed at least 26 people in Baisaran area of Pahalgam in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. In recent years, this is the worst act of terror in J&K after the Pulwama attack of 2019 in which 49 soldiers were killed. Of the four terrorists, two were foreigners and two were locals, according to The Indian Express. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Previously, CNN-News 18 had reported that three of the four terrorists believed to be involved in the attack are named Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha. Sources said that Fauji is the leader of the group. In a photo accessed by the media, these three terrorists are seen with a fourth terrorist, who has been identified as Junaid Ahmed Bhat, who was killed in December in a fight with security forces. At the time of killing, Bhat was identified as a local commander of Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. The TRF is seen as a front organisation of LeT. The Express has reported that investigators have recovered 50-70 cartridges from the site of the attack. Sources told the newspaper that two terrorists used M4s and two used AK-47s in the attack. The source further said, 'Security agencies and the local police are questioning local residents. They are trying to find out if the terrorists had a handler who helped conduct a recce for the attack. Prime facie it appears that the terrorists crossed over from Kishtwar and reached Baisaran via Kokernag with the help of their local operatives.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Separately, The Print has reported that it is believed that the original plan of these terrorists was to carry out an attack during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Katra on April 19. The visit was cancelled.
