Low On Fuel, Indian Drone Inadvertently Hit Pak's Kirana Hills Nuke Facility - NDTV

**Indian Loitering Munition Strikes Kirana Hills Accidentally, Says Former CDS**

New Delhi confirmed on Thursday that a loitering‑munition drone, operating with limited fuel, unintentionally impacted a site in Pakistan’s Kirana Hills during the ongoing “Operation Sindoor.” The strike, which occurred on 22 August, was not aimed at the area’s nuclear‑related installations, according to a statement from former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan. Chauhan told reporters that the drone’s mission was to target a separate, pre‑identified location, but a sudden fuel shortage forced the munition to descend early, resulting in the unintended impact on the mountainous terrain that houses a civilian research outpost and a de‑commissioned nuclear test facility.

Pakistani officials, citing the NDTV report, raised concerns that the strike threatened the security of the Kirana Hills nuclear complex, a legacy site of the country’s early atomic program. However, Indian defence officials have repeatedly emphasized that the munition’s guidance system never locked onto the nuclear facility and that the impact caused no damage to any nuclear material. In a separate interview with *The Times of India*, Chauhan clarified that the operation’s broader objective was to pressure Pakistan into diplomatic talks, and that the decision to approve a separate strike on the Sargodha airbase was taken only after Islamabad signaled openness to negotiations.

Analysts note that the incident underscores the heightened risk of collateral damage in high‑intensity, low‑altitude drone operations, especially when logistical constraints such as fuel scarcity arise. While the Indian government has dismissed allegations of a deliberate nuclear strike, it has pledged a thorough review of loitering‑munition deployment protocols to prevent similar mishaps. The episode is likely to add another layer of complexity to the already fragile Indo‑Pakistani security environment, where military actions and political calculations remain tightly interwoven.