Pakistan’s capital was on high alert on the night of March 13, 2026, when two drones were spotted flying dangerously near the Faizabad Interchange, a major junction between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, forcing a swift security response that shook the entire city.
Two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down by air defence after they were detected loitering near Faizabad. Authorities temporarily closed the airspace over Islamabad following the incident as a security measure. Officials later confirmed that the situation had been brought under control and the airspace had been reopened.
Pakistani officials confirmed that both the drones carried explosives. One of the two drones crashed near the Faizabad interchange, and the other in the I-9 sector area.
The Ministry of Information confirmed on X that the two drones belonged to terrorist group Fitna-al-Khawarij, nurtured by the Afghan Taliban regime, and were successfully intercepted by Pakistan’s security forces using electronic countermeasures. No military or other infrastructure was hit, other than minor damage due to debris from the forced crashing of the drones.
The Pakistan Airports Authority clarified that reports circulating about the closure of Islamabad’s airspace were baseless and that flight operations at Islamabad International Airport were continuing without interruption. The public was advised to rely only on official sources for accurate information.
