The quadcopter that hovered over Miryan Police Station in Bannu this week carried more than crude explosives. It carried a message.

Dropping two bombs near the police station and a third onto a civilian house, the attack — mercifully causing no casualties — marked another step in the quiet evolution of militant warfare inside Pakistan. The group behind it, widely known as the Khawarij, is adapting faster than many would like to admit. The use of a commercial drone was not a gimmick. It was a signal that terrorism in Pakistan is entering a more technologically agile and psychologically potent phase.

This was not an isolated incident. Over the past year, drones have become a preferred tool for the Khawarij, allowing them to strike from a distance, reduce risk to their operatives and expand their reach beyond traditional battlefields. What once required suicide bombers or coordinated assaults can now be attempted with a quadcopter, a camera feed and a few modified explosives. The barrier to entry is lower; the terror effect, arguably higher.

The choice of targets reveals intent. Two explosives were aimed at a police installation — a classic objective. The third was dropped on a civilian house. This was not collateral damage. It was calculated. By demonstrating that even ordinary homes can be struck from the air, the attackers sought to widen fear beyond security forces and into daily life. The message was clear: no place is truly safe.

Technology has altered the geometry of violence. Drones allow militants to bypass........

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