Women & children used to ferry military grade 5 RDX

Women and children were used by terrorists to ferry the deadly explosive RDX grade 5 (for military use) and ammonium nitrate from transit point Tral in Pulwama district in south Kashmir in carrying out a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy on February 14, intelligence sources said.

More than 40 Central Reserve Police Force troopers were killed when a local suicide bomber, Aadil Dar, rammed his SUV into a bus carrying the troopers from Jammu to Srinagar.

The sources said the trigger for the explosive was manufactured locally and that ammonium nitrate was used as an oxidizer in the RDX explosive.

The attack took place on Jammu-Srinagar highway near Latoomode in Pulwama around 3.33 p.m. on February 14, stunning the over 2,500 troopers who were part of the convoy.

The military grade RDX was procured from across the border and the device was assembled around 10 km from the blast site, the sources said.

The RDX used in the attack is reported to be of Military A5 grade category and was transported across the border in small quantities over a period of few months primarily by women and kids. These were accumulated in Pulwama for the February 14 attack.

RDX is a highly unstable compound and is often mixed with wax or soap to make it stable for easy handling, said sources in the Army. Military grade RDX is, however, mixed with high quality stearic or octadecanoic Acid. An A5 grade RDX denotes 98.5 to 99.5 per cent purity and is reportedly very expensive.

Around 300 kgs of RDX was used in the Pulwama attack. It was carried in three drums and mixed with shrapnel (nails, iron pieces) and Ammonium Nitrate which is used as an oxidiser to create an impactful blast.

The drums were fitted in the vehicle which was then maneuvered by the suicide bomber on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

Use of military grade explosives also signals Pakistan Army's support to JeM which carried out the attack.

According to Indian intelligence agencies, the RDX used to attack the bus was procured by Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi and handed over to JeM operatives. The process of collecting RDX reportedly began in March 2018 and the explosives were smuggled using backpacks, cylinders and coal bags to Tral village of Pulwama.

One of the women was killed by terrorists a week before this incident. Anyone who does not comply to the orders of these Terrorist organizations gets killed.

These terrorists work day and night tirelessly to harm India and their only goal is to establish a fully islamic state in Kashmir and then follow it up in other states. The immediate requirement is to do away with Article 370 and resettle the valley.