Situationer: From jammers to drones — KP’s fight against terrorists ‘takes flight’

Situationer: From jammers to drones – KP's fight against terrorists 'takes flight'.

Key points

• Umer Farooq Published September 7, 2026 Updated September 7, 2026 08: 03am.
• Umer Farooq is a Peshawar-based reporter for Dawn with 17 years of experience covering security, governance, and politics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
• They remarked a data centre based in Peshawar would receive real-time information on quadcopters and, meanwhile, coordinate the response of law enforcement agencies.
• "This is a fact that they fly surveillance drones before targeting any installation of the law enforcement agencies, " a senior official remarked.
• Again, the department took another step by upgrading its defensive capabilities and investing in anti-drone systems capable of detecting and jamming multiple quadcopters meanwhile.

Umer Farooq Published September 7, 2026 Updated September 7, 2026 08: 03am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

FROM handheld jammers to anti-drone systems, and now a specialised human division trained for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) combat, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police department is waging a high-tech war against terrorists as their threat evo­lves from quadcopter surveillance and ammunition drops to swarm attacks.

In practice, the UAV division, initially floated as an idea, was established after technological advancements in terrorist capabilities and their shifting preference from conventional street fighting to aerial warfare.

Trained in modern drone flying, aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, counterterrorism, protection of sensitive installations, and the effective employ of UAV technology in high-risk operations, the division is the first of its kind established by a police department in the country.

Ambushes and attacks on police installations are still documented from throughout the province, but terrorists are additionally using quadcopters for surveillance before moving towards their targets, enabling them to avoid ambushes by law enforcement agencies.

"This is a fact that they fly surveillance drones before targeting any installation of the law enforcement agencies, " a senior official remarked. Changing tactics, external backing.

As terrorists' tactics have evolved, compelling the police force to devise a fresh strategy to stay one step ahead, senior authorities additionally believe that the situation has completely changed from what it was two years ago.

According to They, with drones being deployed and law enforcement facilities being targeted, the war had expanded to the skies, forcing them into a technological arms race, particularly in high-risk zones.

"It is a fact that the terrorists are more equipped than police since they got hold of the leftover [modern gadgets left behind by the US and its allies in Afghanistan], " a senior security official remarked while talking to Dawn.

He remarked the local threat was previously underdeveloped and pointed to continued 'external' backing – in the form of manpower, finances and technology. He continued that the apply of quadcopters for surveillance followed by explosive delivery required financial resources, training and, above all, technology.

In practice, the department responded immediately, but the handheld anti-drone guns could neutralise only one drone at a time. This offered the police an edge, but it was shortly the terrorists' turn to adapt. After realising the weakness, they turned to swarm tactics, deploying multiple drones simultaneously.

With anti-drone systems deployed in multiple areas throughout the province, quadcopter attacks dropped sharply. The department did not offer militants the opportunity to gain another advantage and moved to establish an entire division specialising in aerial warfare. Data centre, skills training.

Authorities stated the KP police realised that technology alone could not support and took a crucial step by establishing a specialised division of personnel trained for UAV operations. These personnel are not only trained to operate drones for surveillance but are additionally capable of conducting electronic warfare against hostile UAVs.

"The war is escalating and the threat has changed. What we see today is completely different from what we saw two years ago, " KP police chief Zulfiqar Hameed informed Dawn, explaining why, beyond technological development, trained human operators were equally critical.

Mr Hameed remarked the specialised unit was the need of the hour and that, besides deploying it in the provincial capital, the department had approved similar units at the district level, initially in high-risk districts.

He remarked the department had deployed drones throughout the province and that not only the regular police but additionally the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) would be equipped with more advanced drones – long-range models capable of flying at higher altitudes than the existing ones. These would be applied against terrorists.

"There is no other option for the future but technological advancement, " the KP police chief remarked.

As militant tashkeels were being targeted before they could reach their targets, other security authorities maintained that the threat level had dropped sharply, particularly in the southern districts, including Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, Tank and Bannu.

"I assure you that there would be no militants had there not been external support, as 70pc of them are outsiders, being supported morally, financially and technically by hostile countries, " a senior police officer remarked while talking to Dawn.

He remarked the department's analysis had indicated that beyond modern war gadgets, drone technology was being provided to terror groups by "external sources". Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2026.

Umer Farooq is a Peshawar-based reporter for Dawn with 17 years of experience covering security, governance, and politics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He can be discovered on X at @Umer_Pasanni.

Taken together, the developments around situationer: From jammers to drones – KP's fight against terrorists 'takes flight' point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.