Abandoned by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan-sponsored terrorists have been using American assault rifles, particularly the M4, in every attack in Jammu province during the last couple of years. The use of the American M4 carbine assault rifle by terrorists has emerged as a significant challenge.
After the fierce Safiyan encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, war-like store, including an M4 rifle, was also recovered from two eliminated terrorists.
This deadly weapon was used by terrorists to attack a police party in which four cops of Jammu and Kashmir have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Especially in the Jammu division, over the past few years, terrorists have employed the M4 in numerous major attacks and encounters. Defense experts suggest that after the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in 2021, leftover weapons have been reaching terrorists through Pakistan.
M4 is a lightweight weapon
The M4 carbine is a lightweight, gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, shoulder-fired rifle that has been in use since the 1980s. It is available in several variants.
It is claimed that this rifle can fire 700-970 rounds per minute, with an effective firing range of 500-600 meters. In the 1980s, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) utilized it. Experts stated that the continuous use of these assault rifles by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir is a consequence of the American forces leaving behind arms and ammunition during their exit from Afghanistan in 2021.
After the American withdrawal, they left behind a large stockpile of arms and ammunition, which, with the help of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been reaching terrorists.
First time an M4 rifle was recovered in 2017
The first recovery of an M4 in Jammu and Kashmir occurred on November 7, 2017, when Talha Rashid Masood, the nephew of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, was killed in an encounter in the Pulwama district.
In 2018, the weapon was recovered a second time in Kashmir's Pulwama by security forces when another of Azhar's nephews, Usman Ibrahim, was killed.
Subsequently, on July 11, 2022, an M4 carbine was recovered from an encounter site in the Awantipora area of the Pulwama district, where Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Kaiser Koka and another terrorist were neutralized.
First used in Poonch in the Jammu division
In December 2023, terrorists targeted the Indian Army in Poonch. Four soldiers were martyred in this attack. Following the assault, the terrorist group People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, claimed responsibility. Videos and images of the M4 carbine assault rifle surfaced on social media after the attack.
Instances of use of M4 rifle in Jammu
- March 27, 2025: In the Amb area of Kathua
- July 8, 2024: On a military convoy in Kathua in which four soldiers lost their lives
- May 11 2024: On a bus carrying devotees of the Shivkhodi shrine in the Reasi district.
- June 26, 2024: M4 recovered from terrorists killed during an encounter in the Doda district
The widespread use of these weapons in Kashmir has been observed since the U.S. left arms in Afghanistan, and now it is being seen in the Jammu division as well. "Advanced weapons like the M4 increase the likelihood of casualties, though it is hoped that security forces will effectively tackle this challenge. I believe even people in bulletproof vehicles become vulnerable due to this, and that's the real danger", a defence expert said.
