2 weeks ago
ISI revamps Kashmir network with teen recruits, pistol drops
Pakistan's spy agency, called the ISI, changed the way it works in a place called Kashmir.
Last year, India's armed forces carried out an operation called Sindoor that damaged Pakistan's terror setup.
Because of this, the ISI started a new plan.
It let go of its older workers and is now giving jobs to teenagers who are only 15 or 16 years old.
Some of these new workers are girls.
Their job is to move small pistols from one person to another, like a relay race.
Passing the gun through many hands makes it harder for police to catch anyone.
The spies want small, targeted attacks instead of big battles.
Terrorists are also hiding in thick forests and using special Chinese radios that do not need normal phone networks.
These radios send secret messages that are very hard to track.
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) dismantled its old overground worker network in Jammu and Kashmir after the setback of Operation Sindoor.
The agency is recruiting teenagers aged 15-16, including girls, for one-time assignments that make detection harder.
New recruits transport small consignments of one or two pistols, with weapons changing hands up to five times to evade security checks.
Officials say the shift from AK-47s to pistols signals plans for targeted killings rather than a major strike in the Valley.
Terrorists hiding in dense forests are using Chinese-made Ultra Set devices for off-grid, encrypted communication linked to servers in Pakistan.
- Who
- Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), its newly recruited teenage overground workers, and Indian security agencies tracking them.
- What
- The ISI restructured its overground worker network in Jammu and Kashmir, recruiting teenagers to transport pistols and adopting jungle warfare tactics.
- Where
- Jammu and Kashmir, with operations tied to Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
- When
- Following the setback of Operation Sindoor last year; details based on current reporting.
- Why
- To recover from Operation Sindoor's damage, carry out targeted killings, and evade detection by Indian security agencies.
Key facts
- Agency
- Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
- Trigger
- Operation Sindoor, launched after the Pahalgam terror attack
- Recruit age
- 15-16 years, including girls
- Weapon type
- One or two pistols per consignment, no AK-47s
- Handoff chain
- Three to five different hands per consignment
- Rebuilt groups
- Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen
- Communication device
- Chinese-made Ultra Sets (smartphone plus military radio)
- Recent attacks cited
- Killing of a head constable and two migrants in Kashmir
Quotes
Official
ISI official explaining network structure
“These devices do not talk to each other directly, but send short encrypted data bursts via radio waves to cross-border relay stations and Chinese military communications, which are linked to master servers in Pakistan.”
thehansindia.com
“Pakistan is not aiming for a big hit in the Valley. The very fact that they are choosing pistols over the AK-47 suggests that the aim is to carry out targeted killings and not indulge in a major strike.”
thehansindia.com










