Suspected drone strike damages another mosque in Hassankhel

PESHAWAR: A mosque was partially damaged in a suspected drone strike in Hassankhel, a subdivision around 45 miles south of Peshawar, on Monday morning, according to local sources.

Sources said a separate explosion also occurred in the same area, which is inhabited by the Zakakhel, a sub-tribe of Hassankhel. They said a local hujra was the apparent target of that blast, though the nature of the explosion could not be confirmed. No casualties were reported in either incident, they added.

Residents said the latest incident was the third suspected drone strike in the area and the second in which a mosque was damaged. According to locals, the strike took place at about 10am and caused partial damage to Jamia Masjid Qamar Sar. They said no one was inside the mosque at the time, so no injuries were reported.

Residents also said that on April 22, a suspected drone strike hit a mosque in the Chandoka area of Hassankhel.

Senior police officials and personnel from security forces reached the site after Monday’s incident and sealed off the area. However, there were no reports of a search operation. As senior police officers were present in the area, no official comment on the two incidents could be obtained. The area is outside mobile phone network coverage.

Area and recent security situation

Hassankhel subdivision falls within the territorial limits of Peshawar. Its western side borders Kohat, while its eastern side connects to Nowshera district.

The first suspected drone strike in the area took place in the Kandao locality on October 6, 2022. That strike targeted what was described as an alleged militant hideout and killed the brother of then militant commander Abdul Rahim. The October 6 attack occurred days after a military convoy was attacked in the area.

Rahim was later killed in an intelligence-based operation in the area on July 10, 2024.

On April 19, officials said security forces and police carried out a successful intelligence-based operation against militants in Hassankhel. They said the action was launched after intelligence reports indicated 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 had said. He added that during an exchange of fire in the hilly Hassankhel subdivision, several militants were injured and many were believed to have been killed.

The area has also seen other recent violence. Two policemen who had been abducted on April 11 and April 13 were later martyred in the same area on the days they were taken. Over the last three months, several attacks were also reported on police installations in Hassankhel, Passani, Adezai and Badhber, areas that fall within the same National Assembly constituency.