By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Militant attacks in Pakistan increased slightly in May, with security forces suffering a sharp rise in fatalities despite heightened military tensions with India, according to a report released on Sunday by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The Islamabad-based think tank recorded 85 militant attacks last month, a slight increase from 81 in April, resulting in 113 deaths. Among the fatalities were 52 security personnel, 46 civilians, 11 militants, and four peace committee members. Injuries totaled 182, including 130 civilians, 47 security personnel, four militants, and one peace committee member.
The data revealed a 5 percent rise in attacks compared to April, but the toll on security forces was striking: a 73 percent surge in deaths among personnel and a dramatic 145 percent increase in civilian injuries, from 53 in April to 130 in May. Injuries to security personnel, however, fell by 20 percent, dropping from 59 to 47.
“May marked a troubling escalation in the targeting of security personnel,” the PICSS report stated, highlighting the pressure on Pakistan’s military and police forces. Despite the uptick, the report noted that militant groups “were unable to significantly escalate their activities” amid the ongoing standoff with India.
The overall casualty toll for May, combining militant attacks and security operations, reached 172 deaths, including 57 security personnel, 65 militants, 46 civilians, and four peace committee members. A total of 194 people were injured, comprising 130 civilians, 54 security personnel, nine militants, and one peace committee member. Militants also abducted at least 19 individuals during the month.
In counterterrorism operations, security forces killed 59 militants, though five personnel lost their lives and seven were injured in those efforts. Authorities arrested 52 suspected militants nationwide, with Punjab leading the tally at 39 detentions.
A notable shift in the security landscape emerged: deaths among security personnel soared by 78 percent compared to April, while militant fatalities plummeted by 68 percent, from 203 to 65. “May was the first month since October 2024 in which militant fatalities were recorded in double digits,” the PICSS report observed, signaling a decline in the lethality of counterinsurgency operations.
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for 82 of the 85 attacks, underscoring their status as epicenters of militancy. Balochistan bore the heaviest toll, with 35 attacks leaving 51 dead, 30 civilians, 18 security personnel, and three militants, and 100 injured, including 94 civilians. Militants also abducted nine people in the province.
A particularly grim incident unfolded in Khuzdar, where a bomb targeted an Army Public School bus, killing eight children, mostly girls, and two staff members, while injuring 35 others. The attack drew attention to the vulnerability of civilian targets in the restive province, where separatist and sectarian groups have long fueled unrest.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s merged tribal districts, 22 attacks claimed 45 lives, including 23 security personnel, 12 civilians, six militants, and four peace committee members, with 58 injured. Mainland Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 25 attacks, resulting in 14 deaths—10 security personnel, two civilians, and two militants—and 24 injuries.
Sindh saw three attacks, which killed two civilians and one security officer. No attacks were reported in Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), or Gilgit-Baltistan. However, a raid in AJK’s Rawalakot killed four militants linked to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and Punjab’s 39 arrests highlighted ongoing efforts to disrupt militant networks.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
