Bannu division is now confronting a new and unsettling phase of militancy. According to police, more than 250 drone attacks have been foiled there during the last four months. Yet Sunday showed, once again, that even the best human defences can be caught off guard. In War Mamund tehsil of Bajaur, a quadcopter struck a house, killing nine-year-old Mehran and injuring a woman. The horror of a child killed inside his own home lies more in what it says about the changing character of the threat.
Less than a day earlier, Karachi was also reminded that the threat is no longer restricted to the tribal belt. Militants attacked a Pakistan Rangers facility, detonating explosives at the entrance before trying to storm the compound. Three Rangers personnel were martyred while three attackers were killed, and one wounded attacker, identified as an Afghan national, was captured. The military said the assault was carried out by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, an alleged Indian proxy, and vowed retribution operations against the perpetrators. The same weekend also saw eight suspected militants killed in intelligence-based operations in Kharan and Mastung, and seven more were reportedly killed in Bannu.
Read together, Bajaur and Karachi point to a threat that is changing shape again. Militants are now combining quadcopters, vehicle-borne explosives, suicide tactics, ambushes and propaganda claims into one playbook. The state cannot keep answering this with yesterday’s equipment and yesterday’s assumptions.
The warning signs have been visible for months. In May, two schoolchildren were killed in Bajaur after a quadcopter struck as they returned from school. Earlier attacks in Tank, Bannu and Bajaur showed that commercially available drones are no longer experimental tools in militant hands. They are becoming part of the battlefield.
This demands a sharper response than routine condemnations. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police are all set to receive 32 armoured personnel carriers equipped with remote-controlled weapon systems, cameras and jammers. That is a necessary step, but it cannot become another island of protection around selected installations. Drone detection, jamming, rapid response teams and forensic tracking must reach all police stations.
The Afghan dimension also cannot be wished away. UN monitoring reports, SIGAR assessments and international thinktanks have all pointed to Afghanistan’s support for the TTP, Al Qaeda, IS-K and other militant networks, even as Kabul continues to deny sanctuary. Pakistan should continue pressing that case, but with evidence that survives international scrutiny. The same rule applies to Indian networks using proxies to bleed the country through the TTP, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Baloch separatist groups. Any and all evidence in this regard should be placed before allies, regional forums and international bodies.
The enemy is counting on panic, anger and confusion. Our answer must be the opposite: better intelligence, protection for civilians, stronger policing, tighter border pressure and a case built on undeniable proof rather than mere outrage. *