By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: At least four children were wounded on Wednesday in a quadcopter attack in the restive Gondalabad area of Kurram district, according to official sources cited by the newspaper Dawn, marking the latest in a string of drone strikes by militants that have increasingly targeted civilian areas.
The assault unfolded when a quadcopter dropped explosives over a residential neighborhood, injuring three boys and a girl. The young victims were quickly taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment, though details on the severity of their injuries were not immediately available.
Security officials sharply denounced the strike. “Such incidents reflect a deliberate targeting of non-combatants and have nothing to do with religion or humanitarian values,” they said, describing it as “an act of violence against innocent civilians and children.”
An investigation has been opened into the attack, and security measures in the area have been bolstered to prevent further incidents, Dawn reported. The use of quadcopters by militants to deliver explosives has surged this year, particularly against security forces in Pakistan’s volatile northwest regions. But in recent months, these attacks have spilled over into civilian zones, leaving a trail of casualties among the most vulnerable.
Just last week, in the Janikhel area of Bannu district, two women and two teenagers were injured in a similar quadcopter strike. A week earlier, another attack in the same district claimed the lives of four people and wounded two children. Earlier this month, tragedy struck again in Bannu’s Mamand Khel neighborhood, where a quadcopter crashed into a residential area, killing three boys and injuring another. And in December, militants unleashed explosives from a quadcopter onto a playground in Lakki Marwat, wounding at least seven people, including several children.
These episodes underscore the growing peril faced by ordinary residents in districts like Kurram and Bannu, where insurgent groups have exploited commercially available drones to evade traditional defenses. Pakistani forces have stepped up operations against such threats, but the attacks persist, fueling concerns over civilian safety in a region long plagued by militancy.
Meanwhile, a senior police official in the restive Bannu district of northwestern region said on Wednesday 27 officers had been killed in 134 terrorist attacks this year, underscoring the persistent threat from militants in a region long plagued by insurgency.
Sajjad Khan, the deputy inspector general of police for Bannu, delivered the grim tally during a news briefing at his office, where he outlined the district’s law and order challenges and the police force’s countermeasures against extremist groups. “During 2025, a total of 134 terrorist attacks targeted police stations, police posts, checkpoints, police mobiles and police parties,” Khan said. “In these attacks, 27 police personnel were martyred, while 79 sustained injuries.”
He added that police had responded forcefully, killing 53 terrorists and injuring 163 others in retaliatory actions. The briefing highlighted a year of intensified operations in Bannu, part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which borders Afghanistan and has been a hotspot for Taliban-linked militants and other armed groups. The district’s proximity to the porous frontier has complicated efforts to curb cross-border incursions and drone strikes by insurgents.
Khan described the police efforts as “comprehensive, well-organized and result-oriented operations against militants.” He said officers had conducted 168 intelligence-based raids across the district, leading to the arrest of 105 suspects and the killing of 65 others. “Overall, successful action was taken against 170 terrorists.” Joint operations with other security forces focused on militant strongholds in areas like Miryan, Haved, Daud Shah, Mamand Khel and Domel. In those missions, one police constable was killed, 11 officers were injured, and five civilians were wounded.
The operations yielded significant results and 22 terrorists were killed, four were captured, and several hideouts and houses used by militants were demolished. A particularly alarming trend, Khan noted, involved the use of drones by attackers. “Terrorists had carried out 20 drone attacks targeting police installations and civilian populations, in which 19 police personnel were injured,” he said. “Further, nine civilians were martyred and 33 were injured.”
But he pointed to a turning point in midyear. After installing an anti-drone system on July 18, authorities thwarted more than 300 attempted drone strikes and neutralised four drones, leading to a marked reduction in such incidents. Despite resource constraints, Khan said, the police had bolstered defences at key sites. Measures included barriers, bunkers, double boundary walls, bulletproof gates and closed-circuit television cameras. Work has also started on a Safe City Project aimed at improving surveillance and safety for both officers and residents.
Khan emphasized upgrades to the force’s capabilities to meet modern threats. “In order to align Bannu police with modern requirements, the force had been equipped with drones, anti-drone guns, sniper rifles, armored personnel carriers (APCs), thermal imaging systems, tactical helmets and bullet-proof vehicles.”
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