One civilian was killed and four others were injured after terrorists belonging to the Fitna al-Khwarij carried out another quadcopter attack in the Baka Khel area of Bannu on Tuesday, marking the second such strike on civilians in the district within days.
According to police, the terrorists dropped an explosive shell from a quadcopter, which detonated upon impact. Khatir Ullah, son of Gul Bahadur, was killed on the spot, while Saif Ullah, the deceased’s son, aged approximately 14 to 15 years, Asal Jan, son of Gul Marjan, Amir Ullah, son of Mir Aslam, and Shakir sustained injuries.
Rescue teams, assisted by local residents, shifted the injured to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Bannu, where they are receiving medical treatment.
Security officials and law enforcement agencies reached the scene soon after the attack and launched an investigation. Evidence is being collected to determine the type of explosive used, trace the quadcopter employed in the attack and identify those responsible.
The latest incident comes just a day after another quadcopter attack in the Narmi Khel area of Baka Khel, where terrorists dropped an explosive device that injured three civilians, including a five-year-old child. The back-to-back attacks have heightened concerns over the growing use of commercially available drones by terrorist groups operating in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The attack also follows the emergence of fresh footage from Baka Khel showing terrorists using civilians as human shields while launching attacks on security forces. According to local sources, the footage shows terrorists deliberately operating from within or near populated areas, forcing security forces to exercise extreme restraint to safeguard civilian lives during retaliatory operations.
Officials have not yet issued a detailed statement on Tuesday’s attack. Investigations are underway to establish the identity of the perpetrators and determine whether the latest quadcopter strike is linked to a broader pattern of coordinated terrorist activity in the region.
