Nine children injured after drone hits madrassa in KP’s Tank district

Nine children were injured on Thursday when a quadcopter drone struck a madrassa in Tank district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, police said.

The drone was reportedly approaching from an unknown direction when it hit the building, causing injuries to children inside.

The injured were identified as 12-year-old Rehan, 10-year-old Farman, 11-year-old Khayam, 13-year-old Habib-ur-Rehman, 12-year-old Naseem Sabai, 15-year-old Mastana, 12-year-old Wali Muhammad, 8-year-old Shafiq and 9-year-old Alia.

All the injured children were shifted to hospital by ambulance. Their condition was not immediately disclosed.

Police said an investigation had been launched to determine the source and purpose of the drone.

Read: Terrorists using 'drones' to target forces in K-P

Following the incident, local residents staged a protest, strongly condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with the affected families.

Tank District Police Officer Shabbir Shah held talks with a jirga committee representing the protesters to address their concerns.

The negotiations were attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner Nematullah, Assistant Commissioner Sajid Khan, PA to MPA Javed Betani and Salman Khan Betani, the brother of the MPA.

After the talks, the jirga committee announced a temporary suspension of the protest and sit-in until Monday.

The committee said further negotiations would be held with senior officials and warned that the protest would resume on Monday if talks failed.

Read more: K-P CM announces Rs2.5m each for Tirah drone attack victims

The incident comes amid growing concern over the use of quadcopter drones by militants in the province.

Reuters reported in July that terrorists had begun using commercially available quadcopter drones to drop bombs on security forces in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, citing police officials.

The drones, powered by four rotors that allow vertical take-off and landing, have raised alarm within the overstretched and under-equipped police force, officials said.

Security officials told Reuters that militants were using the drones to drop improvised explosive devices or mortar shells packed with ball bearings or pieces of iron.