Pakistan, June 29 -- Bannu division is now confronting a new and unsettling phase of militancy. According to police, more than 250 drone attacks have been foiled there during the last four months. Yet Sunday showed, once again, that even the best human defences can be caught off guard. In War Mamund tehsil of Bajaur, a quadcopter struck a house, killing nine-year-old Mehran and injuring a woman. The horror of a child killed inside his own home lies more in what it says about the changing character of the threat.

Less than a day earlier, Karachi was also reminded that the threat is no longer restricted to the tribal belt. Militants attacked a Pakistan Rangers facility, detonating explosives at the entrance before trying to storm the compo...