A relative respite in terrorist violence in August 2018: PIPS monthly security report

Islamabad (PR) – August 2018 was a month of relative respite in terrorist violence when only 14 people lost their lives in terrorist attacks compared to 230 in previous month. On the whole 19 terrorist attacks happened in the country during the month under review, which also injured 51 people. Those 14 killed in these attacks included 5 civilians, 3 policemen, one FC man as well as 5 militants including 2 suicide bombers.

These attacks also included two (2) suicide attacks including one perpetrated for the first time by a Baloch insurgent group. Both these low-intensity suicide blasts happened in Balochistan and caused injuries to 12 people, besides death of the two bombers.

Posting a 25 percent decrease from the month before, 9 terrorist attacks took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in August 2018. These attacks killed 6 people – compared to 40 in previous month – and injured 18 others.

In Balochistan, as many as 3 people lost their lives – compared to 183 in the month before – in 5 reported terrorist attacks reported from the province; 30 others were also injured in these attacks.

There was an abrupt deterioration in the security situation of Gilgit-Baltistan during the month of August where 5 reported attacks claimed as many lives besides wounding 3 others.

No terrorist attack however took place in Sindh, Punjab, the federal capital Islamabad and AJK.