Do Taliban's drone attacks expose a chink in Pakistan's armour?

"On the evening of March 13, drones struck three locations across Pakistan. Two children were wounded in Quetta. Civilians were also injured in Kohat and in Rawalpindi, the garrison city that houses the headquarters of Pakistan's armed forces and neighbours the capital, Islamabad. Pakistan's military said the drones were intercepted before reaching their targets."

"Yet, analysts say, irrespective of how the Taliban's drones are characterised, these recent incidents point to an increasingly troubling pattern for Pakistan: drones over garrison cities, drones over places of worship, drones over urban centres. The government responded by imposing a nationwide ban on drone flights and briefly restricting airspace over the capital."

"As much as Pakistan is downplaying these drones, the point is not what level of drone they are; the point is that drones are coming, and they are coming to the capital. That is the central danger, said Abdul Basit, a senior associate fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence and Ter"

Pakistan faces escalating drone attacks attributed to Taliban forces in Afghanistan, with incidents occurring in multiple cities including Quetta, Kohat, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad. Attacks in late February and March 2024 resulted in civilian casualties and injuries. Pakistan's military claims to have intercepted drones before reaching targets and characterizes them as rudimentary, locally-produced devices, dismissing Taliban claims of successful strikes on military installations. However, security analysts emphasize the critical concern is not drone sophistication but rather the pattern of penetration into Pakistani airspace, including over garrison cities and civilian areas. The government responded with a nationwide drone flight ban and temporary airspace restrictions over the capital, acknowledging the security threat despite official downplaying.

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