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

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police are taking their fight against terrorists into the air. After deploying handheld jammers and anti-drone systems, the department has created a specialised human division trained for unmanned aerial vehicle combat.

The move follows advances in terrorist drone capabilities and a shift away from conventional street fighting. Militants have used quadcopters to watch targets before attacks and to drop ammunition, while the threat has evolved toward possible swarm attacks.

The UAV division trains officers in modern drone flying, aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, counterterrorism, protection of sensitive installations and the use of drones in high-risk operations. Dawn describes it as the first division of its kind established by a police department in the country.

Ambushes and attacks on police installations are still being reported across the province. The new unit reflects the police department’s effort to respond as those attacks increasingly involve aerial technology.