Terrorist attacks in Pakistan surge in first month of 2019: PIPS report
– Marking 136% increase from month before, 26 attacks happened in January, claiming 30 lives
Islamabad (PR) – After witnessing a gradual decline over the past few months, the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan once again surged during the first month of the year 2019. As many as 26 terrorist attacks took place in Pakistan in January 2019, compared to 11 in the month before, which claimed 30 lives and wounded 69 others. These statistics were revealed in Pak Institute for Peace Studies’ (PIPS) monthly security report.
Among those 30 killed were 9 security officials (4 FC men, 4 policemen and one Levies) and 14 civilians, as well as 7 militants. Those injured included 31 security personnel, 36 civilians, and 2 militants.
Marking a significant increase of 120 percent from previous month, 11 terrorist attacks took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) during the month under review. These attacks claimed 3 lives – compared to 4 in the month before – and injured 15 others.
Same as in KP, 11 terrorist attacks took place in Balochistan in January 2019 – an increase of 120 percent from the month before. These attacks claimed 25 lives – more than double than those killed in such attacks in previous month – and injured 54 others.
Meanwhile, three reported attacks from Sindh – including two sectarian-related attacks in Karachi and one attack by nationalist insurgents in Nawabshah – claimed two lives in January 2019.
One terrorist attack happened in Punjab that did not cause any casualty.
More than double than in the month before, 15 cross-border attacks took place inside Pakistan including 14 from across the LoC and Working Boundary with India, and one from Iranian side of the border. These attacks claimed 4 lives and wounded 7 people.
Security forces launched 4 one anti-militant operational strikes that killed 9 suspected militants. Two of these actions took place in parts of KP while one operation each happened in Balochistan and Punjab. The CTD reportedly also killed two suspected terrorists in an encounter in a town in Gujranwala district.
On the whole, 47 incidents of violence of different types took place in Pakistan in that claimed the lives of 45 people and injured 76 others.