Pakistan Records Highest Monthly Militant Attacks in Nine Years – News18

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Last Updated: September 03, 2023, 09:55 IST

Pakistani Army soldier stands guard during flag hoisting ceremony to celebrate Independence Day, at the mausoleum of Pakistan’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, in Karachi, Pakistan August 14, 2023. (Reuters)

Pakistan: August saw the highest number of militant attacks in nearly nine years, causing significant casualties and affecting various regions

Pakistan faced the highest number of attacks in August, tallying the highest monthly strikes since 2014, according to data released by an Islamabad-based think tank on Saturday. Last month, as many as 99 attacks were recorded across the country, the highest number in a single month since November 2014, according to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

Increasing Attacks

The estimate of the Pak think tank was lower than the 147 attacks claimed by the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), PICSS said. According to Dawn newspaper, the attacks resulted in the deaths of 112 Pakistani civilians and security forces personnel while 87 were injured. The data showed a month-on-month increase of 83 percent, compared to 54 attacks reported in July, the report said.

Pakistan saw 22 suicide attacks in the first eight months of 2023, in which 227 people were killed and 497 injured. There were four suicide attacks last month alone, three in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Other regions in the country were also affected by the rising militancy, including Balochistan and erstwhile Fata.

Most Affected KP

However, KP was the region most affected the terrorism. Here, the attacks increased in the mainland, up by 83 percent from 15 in July to 29 in August. The deaths and injuries also increased by 188 percent and 73 percent, respectively. The northwest province of the country was mainly targeted by the TTP and its splinter groups, who claimed responsibility for several attacks.

Citing the think tank data, the report also revealed that security forces remained the primary target of violence, accounting for 50 percent of the total deaths and 63 percent of the total injured. There was a 51 percent rise in military fatalities in August compared to July this year.

What’s Causing the Spike

Earlier in June, PICSS reported that the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan has seen a phenomenal surge of 73 percent during the first 21 months since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.

The report said incidents of terrorist violence in the country significantly increased since August 15, 2021 when the Taliban took control of Kabul. The number of people killed in the attacks from August 2021 to April 2023 (21 months) has also increased by 138 percent.

The report titled ‘Pakistan’s Afghan Perspective and Policy Options’ warned that these emerging trends of terrorism will only add to the country’s security challenge in terms of militancy in KP and the erstwhile tribal areas, Baloch insurgency in Balochistan and ethno-nationalist violence in Sindh.