BAJAUR: Two schoolchildren were killed after a quadcopter drone, reportedly operated from an unknown location, struck a hilly area here on Thursday.

Local residents and official sources told Dawn that the fatal incident occurred in the Shahi Thangi area, located about 25 kilometres from Khar, the district headquarters of Bajaur, at around noon.

They added that the children were returning home from school when they were hit, leaving them critically wounded.

The two boys, aged 10 and 12, were immediately taken by locals to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar for treatment.

However, both were pronounced dead upon arrival, they said.

It remains unconfirmed where the quadcopter was launched from and who was responsible for the attack.

Meanwhile, sources in the local police told Dawn that they had launched an investigation into the incident to determine who was responsible and what the motive was.

The killing of two innocent schoolchildren in the strike sparked condemnation and concern among locals and political circles.

PTI MPA Dr Hamidur Rehman and Bajaur Aman Jirga chief Sahibzada Haroon Rashid condemned the incident in the “strongest terms”.

In statements shared on social media soon after the incident, both leaders called for an investigation into the attack in which the two students were martyred.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2026