Quadcopter Drones Reshaping Pakistan’s Militant Landscape (Part One)

(Rahim Nasar – The Jamestown Foundation) Militant organizations, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), have begun using commercially available quadcopter drones for offensive operations, shifting the warfare modes beyond Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and suicide bombings. The doctrinal shift has exacerbated casualties of security personnel, as Pakistan’s anti-drone systems were unprepared for this shift, while minimizing the operational risks posed to the militant groups’ fighters. The resurging intensity and technical complexity of the quadcopter drone campaign by the militants predict a new and sophisticated era of hybrid warfare and militancy, which, if not properly tackled, can pose serious threats to Pakistan’s security landscape. – Quadcopter Drones Reshaping Pakistan’s Militant Landscape (Part One) – Jamestown