Security forces sweep Samba’s Sumb area after detecting Iridium satellite signal
A joint Army-police search was launched in Sumb, Samba district, after a brief Iridium satellite transmission was picked up on Tuesday.
Following a signal that an Iridium satellite set briefly turned on around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, security agencies dispatched a joint operation comprising Army units, police and additional forces to the remote hamlet of Sumb in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district. The team converged on Makoli village and carried out thorough searches in the surrounding terrain, yet no satellite device or related material was found. Officials noted that terrorists often disable such equipment after contacting handlers across the border, and that the Iridium GO! app can turn a phone into a local Wi-Fi hotspot.
The operation continued into late Tuesday, after which authorities tightened patrols along all approaches to Sumb. The area is deemed strategically sensitive because the Basantar River route leads toward the India-Pakistan border, a corridor frequently used by militants heading to the Kashmir Valley via the Samba-Udhampur-Doda-Kishtwar corridor.
Why it matters
The sweep highlights ongoing border security concerns and the use of satellite communications by militants in a sensitive region.
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