Two children were killed and three injured in an explosion in Panjgur’s Gowargo tehsil, which local sources alleged was caused by explosives fitted to a quadcopter operated by Pakistani forces.
The children were playing in Fateh Ali Bazaar when they found a suspicious object hanging from a tree, sources said, adding that the object exploded when they disturbed it.
Those killed were identified as nine-year-old Arman, son of Anwar, and ten-year-old Amaal, son of Salim, while the injured were nine-year-old Shahid, seven-year-old Zahid, son of Shahid, and twelve-year-old Noorullah, son of Rafiq.
The nature of the object was initially unclear. However, a source familiar with the case alleged that the explosives had been fitted to a Pakistani military quadcopter, adding that Pakistani forces later instructed local journalists to report the explosion as having been caused by a hand grenade or other explosive material.
The incident comes amid reports of civilian casualties in Pakistani military drone and quadcopter operations in Balochistan.
On September 24, four young men were killed and two injured in a reported Pakistani military drone strike at Lotham, Balicha, Kech. Families said the men had gone to the area for a picnic, rejecting the authorities’ description of those killed as suspected militants.
The incident later prompted a boycott of courts across Makran and demands from lawyers for an independent investigation.
On September 18, five civilians were injured in what local sources described as quadcopter attacks on Balochabad and Bullo in Mand.
Three people, including a child, were injured in a reported drone strike in Mastung’s Garro area on September 6, while a young boy, Muhammad Aiman, was killed in what sources described as a drone strike in Khuzdar’s Sasol Goru area on August 5.