Beware of mobiles, says army

Militants are using cellphones to smuggle chemical and biological war agents, according to an army dossier.

Militants are increasingly using cellphones as pistols and bombs. They are also using them to smuggle chemical and biological war agents, according to an army dossier.

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The dossier was recently given to ground troops engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the northern and western sectors.

It points out that cellphone pistols resemble regular mobile phones in size, shape and appearance. The cellphone pistol is of .22 caliber. To fire four rounds, you just need to press buttons 5, 6, 7 and 8 in the keypad.

The new generation mobile phones are sleek and weigh only about 150 gm. A normal cellphone can be rigged to conceal up to 15 to 20 gm explosive. It can be used as a Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED).

For example, Israelis used an RCIED to kill Yahya Ayyasha, a member and chief bomb maker of terrorist organisation, Hamas. A cellphone passed on to Ayyasha exploded when he tried to switch it on, and killed him instantly.

Terrorists also use cellphones to trigger IED explosions from a remote location.
To do this, they attach IEDs to a cellphone. The mobile phone gets activated and triggers the bomb when it receives a call from a different mobile phone. This technique has been frequently used in Iraq and Israel, the dossier said.

The dossier also warns that militants can use cellphones for smuggling chemical and biological war agents.