FOLLOWING the US exit from Afghanistan and the Russia-Ukraine war’s onset, militants picked up new tactics and equipment like drones in southern KP and former Fata, including abandoned military hardware in Afghanistan, posing a challenge to LEAs. KP witnessed over 380 attacks in 2025; Bannu alone faced 300 in which locally modified and commercially available quadcopters were used. In response, KP Police established Pakistan’s first UAV division and issued SOPs covering safety measures and the use of anti-drone systems in militancy-hit areas. Punjab, too, set up ‘district anti-drone units’.
No longer a state monopoly, drones have enhanced militants’ capabilities for reconnaissance and targeting outposts, checkpoints, LEA convoys and patrolling parties. Militants use physical, cyber and air space. Militants’ drone use has impacted the pattern of protection and law enforcement. Terrorist groups — operating as small specialised teams — deploy drones due to their affordability and ease of use. Drones can carry explosives, chemicals or firearms to attack gatherings or infrastructure; they monitor troop movement, assess the impact of attacks and gather real-time intelligence without putting operatives at risk. By fitting drones with explosives and shrapnel, these flying bombs are part of the militants’ psychological warfare to create fear and amplify anti-LEA propaganda.
Drone use engenders privacy concerns as the cameras can record people’s activities without their consent. Criminals use drones to monitor potential targets for robbery and extortion. Unauthorised drones near airports can disrupt flights, while crashes in urban areas can cause death and injury.
Drone videos are used to glorify violence. During the Iraq war, IS used drones to drop grenades on Iraqi forces and disseminate propaganda videos. The Houthis in Yemen have used drones against Saudi Arabia to target refineries and other infrastructure, temporarily impacting Saudi oil production. Hezbollah uses drones for reconnaissance. Last year, a drone attack by the rebel group FARC downed a Colombian police helicopter, killing 12.
Drones have boosted militants’ lethality.
Some countries mandate that drones broadcast their identity, location and the controller’s location, so that LEAs can track them in real-time. Their governments develop regulatory systems to ensure safety and privacy. Legal frameworks cover registration, licensing, restricted flying areas, special authorisation for night operations, training, certification of commercial drone pilots and non-compliance penalties.
In developing countries, LEAs don’t have drones or the capacity to use and detect them — posing a risk in dense urban areas where lone wolves can target people. Countermeasures include policies and regulations such as licensing and geofencing for drone operations, seeking cooperation from countries that make and export drones, procuring detection systems, equipping LEAs with anti-drone guns and advocating responsible drone ownership.
Instead of banning them, a better option is to regulate drone use through licensing. LEAs must create drone warfare units. Increased drone use by militants warrants global cooperation, countermeasures and regulatory frameworks, with LEAs trained in recognising, tracking and disabling drones. Awareness drives and rewards for reporting suspicious drones will help. Areas like airports and military installations should be designated no-fly zones for drones.
Some states have made the registration of commercial and recreational drones mandatory as well as the monitoring of the sale and import of long-range and heavy-lift drones. Laws should cover online sales and distribution via courier. Global cooperation can help monitor the acquisition and trafficking of drones by militants, including on online forums.
Drone laws should mandate weight-based drone registration, pilot licences for some categories, and unique drone identities to curb illegal use or public inconvenience. Unregulated, they can be misused, endangering public peace and safety. Strict rules, enforcement, and ethical guidelines can prevent their misuse as weapons, the invasion of privacy, airspace disruption and escalating tensions between countries sharing a border.
Drone use has increased in recent years. In some places, police use drones as ‘first responders’, increasing personnel safety, helping trace stolen vehicles and monitoring crowds. In using drones, individuals’ privacy and the security of installations must be ensured. LEAs must realise that adaptability is key; militants use the element of surprise to their advantage. To overcome the challenge, the legacy of a colonial past that protects the status quo instead of public safety must be discarded. Balancing innovation, privacy and safety is the challenge.
The writer is a security analyst and author of Pakistan: In Between Extremism and Peace.
X: @alibabakhel
Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2026