PESHAWAR: Another mosque was partially damaged in a suspected drone strike in sub-division Hassankhel, an area located some 45 miles south of the provincial capital, on Monday morning, sources said.

They said that an explosion also took place in the same area inhabited by Zakakhel, a sub-tribe of Hassankhel. They said that the target of the explosion was a local hujra. The nature of the explosion could not be confirmed, they said. They added that no casualties were reported in both incidents.

According to locals, it was the third drone strike in the same area and the second one that damaged a mosque. They said that the attack took place around 10am in the morning and partially damaged Jamia Masjid Qamar Sar. There were no casualties as nobody was present in the mosque, they added.

They said that on April 22 a suspected drone strike hit a mosque in Chandoka area of Hassankhel. Senior police officials along with officers from security forces reached the scene and cordoned off the area. However, there were no reports about any search operation.

Since all senior police officers were present in the said area, no one could be reached for an official comment on both the incidents. The area is out of the mobile telephone network.

Sub-division Hassainkhel falls in the territorial limits of Peshawar. Its western border links it to Kohat and the eastern border to Nowshera district.

The first suspected drone strike took place in Kandao locality of the area on October 6, 2022 and targeted an alleged hideout of terrorists, killing brother of the then militant commander Abdul Rahim.

The October 6 drone attack was carried out days after a military convoy came under attack in the area. Rahim was later killed in an intelligence-based operation in the area on July 10, 2024.

On April 19, officials said that security forces along with police conducted a successful intelligence-based operation against terrorists in Hassankhel. They said that the operation was launched following intelligence reports about the presence of militants in the area.

“Military, the paramilitary force of Frontier Corps, police and Counter-Terrorism Department carried out a coordinated operation against militants,” a senior official said. He added that during an exchange of fire in the hilly Hassankhel subdivision, several militants were injured while many were believed to be killed.

Two policemen, with one abducted on April 11 and the second on April 13, were later martyred in the same area on the days of their abduction while several attacks on police installations in Hassankhel, Passani, Adezai and Badhber, an area comprising the same National Assembly constituency, were reported during the last three months.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2026