Pakistan police use fishing nets at Hangu checkpost to deter drone attacks
Police in Pakistan's Hangu district have installed fishing nets above a security checkpost in an effort to block or blunt drone attacks. The low-cost measure has been put in place at the Sarki Piyala police checkpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an area close to the border with Afghanistan and repeatedly affected by militant violence. Officers say the netting has already been in place for two months and has so far prevented further drone strikes at the site.
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The move follows a deadly attack on 16 April, when drones carrying explosives targeted the checkpost and gunmen opened fire from multiple directions. Police officer Fayyaz Khan said the confrontation lasted about seven hours. The attack was claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, and killed the driver of an armoured vehicle while injuring a constable.
Khan said officers were forced to take cover during the assault and feared they might not survive. The nets are strung several metres above the rooftops and perimeter walls, creating what police describe as an aerial ceiling over the post. According to district police officer Tariq Habib, covering a standard checkpost with the system costs about 400,000 Pakistani rupees, or around $1,435.
Habib said the police have introduced the netting at vulnerable stations and checkposts to reduce the impact of drone and quadcopter attacks. Officers at the site said the mesh could catch a drone before it detonates, or at least reduce the damage if an explosion happens above the net. The response highlights how security forces in northwest Pakistan are adapting to a threat that has become more difficult to counter with conventional defences.
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Drone attacks have added a new layer to militant tactics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where armed groups have long carried out ambushes, bombings and shootings. The use of fishing nets is notable because it is inexpensive, improvised and designed for a setting where police outposts may not have access to more advanced anti-drone systems. Hangu district has particular strategic significance because of its location about 30 kilometres from the Afghan border.
The area has been described by police as a hotbed of attacks by armed groups, especially the TTP. That proximity matters because cross-border movement, local militancy and the use of improvised weapons have all shaped the security environment in the province for years. The latest defensive measure suggests police are trying to protect fixed positions without waiting for more expensive technology or reinforcements.
The April attack also underlines the continuing pressure on Pakistan's security forces in border districts. The TTP has remained one of the main armed groups active in the region, and attacks on police posts are intended to weaken state control and intimidate local forces. In this case, the combination of explosives and gunfire made the assault more complex than a conventional raid, and the seven-hour duration points to the difficulty of defending isolated outposts once an attack begins.
For now, the netting appears to be a local solution rather than a broader national system, although police say more installations are being added at vulnerable sites. It is not clear whether the measure can withstand larger or more sophisticated drone attacks, or whether militants will adapt their tactics in response. What remains to be seen is whether other districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will adopt the same approach and whether authorities will pair it with additional anti-drone equipment or intelligence-led operations.
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