Militants Use Drones to Attack Security Forces in Pakistan’s Northwest, Pakistani Officials Say

Militants in Pakistan’s northwest increasingly use drones to attack security forces, Pakistani officials report, raising serious concerns about regional security and counterterrorism efforts.

Militants in Pakistan’s northwest have begun using commercially acquired quadcopter drones to drop bombs on security forces, police officials said, marking a concerning escalation in the region’s ongoing conflict. These drones, which take off and land vertically using four rotors, pose a new challenge to the already overstretched and under-equipped police force, which is the frontline defense against militant attacks.

Police officer Muhammad Anwar reported that two such drones targeted a police station in Bannu district earlier this month, killing a woman and injuring three children in a nearby house. Another drone, spotted over a different police station recently, was shot down by police; it was reportedly armed with a mortar shell. According to Anwar, there have been at least eight drone attacks on police and security forces in Bannu and surrounding areas over the past two and a half months.

Regional police chief Sajjad Khan said militants are still experimenting with the drone technology and have not yet mastered its use. “The militants have acquired these modern tools, but they are in the process of experimentation, which is why they can’t hit their targets accurately,” he explained. Security officials confirmed that militants use the quadcopters to drop improvised explosive devices or mortar shells packed with ball bearings or iron fragments.

Provincial police chief Zulfiqar Hameed expressed concern over the police’s lack of resources to counter the new drone threat. “We do not have equipment to counter the drones,” Hameed told Geo News, adding, “The militants are better equipped than we are.” Meanwhile, no militant group has officially claimed responsibility for the drone strikes.

The main militant organization operating in the northwest is the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. Although TTP denied using drones, a spokesman told Reuters, “We are trying to acquire this technology.” In 2024 alone, militants carried out 335 attacks nationwide, resulting in 520 deaths, according to the independent Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies.

Pakistan’s army did not comment on whether a new operation is planned. The emergence of drone attacks highlights an evolving and dangerous phase in the conflict, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced counter-drone capabilities and improved security measures to protect civilians and law enforcement personnel alike.

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