How simple drones are outwitting Pakistan’s military
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 18 March 2026
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Drone attacks are reaching deeper into Pakistan, hitting sensitive areas and raising alarm. Officials call them rudimentary, but analysts warn their impact could far exceed their sophistication. What do these low-cost drones reveal about the country’s vulnerabilities, and what comes next as tensions with Afghanistan continue to grow?
In this episode:
- Abid Hussain (@abidhussayn), Al Jazeera Digital Correspondent
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz, Marcos Bartolomé and Sarí el-Khalili with Spencer Cline, Catherine Nouhan, Tuleen Barakat, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Alexandra Locke.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.
Connect with us:
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Today, the drone revolution plays out in Pakistan. |
| 0:16.4 | Reports of two explosive-laden drones that were intercepted in Islamabad. |
| 0:21.6 | One drone fell near Faizabad while another landed in the I-9 sector. |
| 0:26.6 | The drones were possibly launched from Afghanistan, is what reports are suggesting. |
| 0:31.6 | Low-cost drones have shaped wars from Russia and Ukraine to Israel and Iran. |
| 0:40.1 | As drones reach Pakistan's biggest cities, |
| 0:43.7 | what do these attacks reveal about the next era of war? |
| 0:48.7 | I'm Malika Bilal, and this is the take. Hey, everyone. With tensions escalating between Pakistan and Afghanistan, we're getting the view from Islamabad today, and we'll check in with a guest from Afghanistan in a future episode. So as you're watching, let us know what questions you have about what you're seeing and what you want us to cover next. |
| 1:11.7 | If you're listening on a podcast app, leave us a review telling us where you're listening from |
| 1:16.1 | and rate us. It helps other people find the show. |
| 1:20.8 | My name is Abid. I'm the Pakistan correspondent in Islamabad. I have been working with Al-Duzera for the last three years. |
| 1:27.8 | Abid, welcome back to The take. Now, you know, a day before war broke out in Iran, Pakistan declared |
| 1:36.2 | its own open war with Afghanistan and launched air strikes on Kabul, Kandahar, and Paxia early on Friday, February 27th. And things have |
| 1:46.9 | only escalated from there. So we're speaking on Wednesday, March 18th, when the latest headlines |
| 1:53.2 | have Afghanistan accusing Pakistan of killing at least 400 people in a strike on a hospital, |
| 2:00.3 | something that Pakistan denies responsibility for. |
| 2:03.8 | So, Abid, bring us up to speed here. |
| 2:07.4 | What has life been like from your vantage point in Islamabad? |
| 2:11.4 | First of all, I would like to present this latest update from Pakistan. |
| 2:15.2 | Information Minister, Atollah Thar, posted a message on his social media, |
| 2:19.4 | saying that Pakistan is going to pause the attacks, the operation which have been going on |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Al Jazeera, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Al Jazeera and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.