Pakistani Islamist militants employ drones to target security forces, officials say

Pakistani Islamist militants employ drones to target security forces, officials say
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Islamist militants in Pakistan’s volatile northwest region have begun using commercially acquired quadcopter drones to drop bombs on security forces, Arab News reported. This new tactic poses a significant challenge to the overstretched and under-equipped police, who are the frontline defense against militant attacks.

Earlier this month, two drone attacks targeted a police station in Bannu district, killing a woman and injuring three children in a nearby house, according to police officer Muhammad Anwar. Another drone armed with a mortar shell was shot down over a different police station last Saturday. At least eight such drone attacks have occurred in Bannu and surrounding areas over the past two and a half months.

Provincial police chief Zulfiqar Hameed acknowledged the police lack the equipment to counter these drone threats, stating militants are currently better equipped.

In 2024, militants carried out 335 attacks nationwide, killing 520 people, according to the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies. Meanwhile, thousands of residents have protested, fearing both militant violence and a possible military operation that could displace them, recalling the mass evacuations during the 2014 anti-militant campaign. Pakistan’s army has not commented on any planned operations.