Quetta, September 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Four young men were killed and two others injured in a reported Pakistani military drone strike in the Balicha area of Tump in Balochistan’s Kech district, with families and local residents disputing the authorities’ claim that those killed were suspected militants.
According to family sources cited by The Balochistan Post, six residents of Balicha had travelled to the nearby mountains for a picnic when the strike took place on Friday afternoon. Four of them — Yasir, Zubair, Sameer and Deedag — were killed. Local sources said three of the deceased were cousins from the same family.
The two injured men were reportedly taken into the custody of Pakistani forces following the strike, according to local sources. The victims’ bodies were later returned to their families, with funeral prayers held in Balicha on Saturday.
Pakistani authorities have described the four deceased as suspected militants and claimed that weapons and ammunition were recovered from them. Families and residents have rejected that account, saying the men were unarmed and had gone to the mountains for a picnic. They have called for an independent investigation into the incident.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) condemned the strike and demanded an independent probe by international human rights bodies and the United Nations. The group alleged that the victims were civilians and criticised the use of military force against them.
The competing accounts could not be independently verified.
The incident comes amid continuing armed conflict and counter-insurgency operations in Balochistan, where Pakistani security forces have been conducting operations against militant groups while separatist organisations remain active in several districts. Recent reports have also documented disputed accounts of drone and aerial strikes in Kech and other parts of the province.
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