Various units of the Indian Army are training Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed at sensitive installations along the border to prepare for joint operations in case of terror attacks, people aware of the matter said, adding that this is the first such training for joint counter-terror response operations.
While CISF’s Quick Response Teams (QRTs) posted in the Kashmir Valley and Parliament were trained by the army in counter-terror operations after Operation Sindoor, the current training session focuses on interoperability with the army. According to the people cited above, the army is also training CISF personnel posted at airports across the country on aerial threats, especially on neutralising various types of drones
The Indian Air Force (IAF), in sectors such as Leh, has also held training sessions with the CISF on countering drone threats, their neutralisation and interoperability in response operations.
“At different locations, such as Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, CISF personnel are training with the army. The training modules focus not only on acting as first responders to wolf and terror attacks, but also on jointly working in attacks of all kinds, including drones,” an official aware of the details said on anonymity. “During Operation Sindoor, within the first 1-2 hours of India successfully launching the attacks, Pakistan attacked units guarded by CISF near the border, but failed to cause any damage.”
India struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) during Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were killed.
During the intervening night of May 6-7 last year, CISF personnel had shot down enemy drones fired at the Uri hydro power plant and evacuated nearly 250 personnel within the facility amid heavy shelling. The hydropower project, one of India’s most vital and sensitive assets, was one of the first targets as part of Pakistan’s response.
The official cited above said that CISF personnel guarding nearly 11 such vital installations in J&K have trained with the army in recent months and worked in joint counter operations. “There is synergy between the two forces, with the army lending its expertise to the force. Drills are being conducted jointly, not just in the Valley, but at other installations too. For example, at the Taj Mahal, anti-drone jammers are controlled by the army while security is monitored by CISF. Training for personnel posted within the Taj Mahal was also conducted by the army,” the official added.
During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan launched drones and loitering munitions against Indian military installations and civilian infrastructure. India’s robust, multi-layered air defence network thwarted all threats, preventing any damage. During Operation Sindoor, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, killing at least 100 terrorists, and the Indian Air Force struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations.