Jan-Aug: 147pc spike in terror incidents

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has recorded an unprecedented 147 percent spike in terrorism-related incidents in the first eight months of 2024, with 821 terror attacks and 486 fatalities compared to the same period of 2023 in which the country witnessed 555 incidents of terrorism and 305 fatalities.

According to the data collected by Business Recorder from different official and independent sources, a total of 821 incidents of terrorism were witnessed from January till August in 2024, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan being the most affected provinces; whereas 920 terror-related incidents and 527 killings were recorded in the calendar year 2023.

During the current year, an increased trend of terrorism-related incidents was witnessed, with 108 incidents taking place in January, 129 in February, 81 in March, 100 in April, 115 in May, 99 in June, 108 in July and 81 in August.

There is an increase in terror activities by the Baloch insurgents, as the data provided by Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) revealed that the Baloch insurgents, particularly Balochistan Raaji Ajoi-R-Sangar (BRAS) – an alliance of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) and Baloch Republican Guards (BRG) – carried out 119 terror attacks in Balochistan in the first eight months of 2024.

PIPS also revealed that 195 terrorist attacks were carried out by terror outfits such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP); etc., during the same period.

Most recently on August 26, Balochistan witnessed multiple attacks from insurgents across the province which left at least 38 dead, including 23 passengers in Musakhail. At least 23 Punjabi travellers were killed in the Rarasham area of Musakhail district in Balochistan after BLA cadres offloaded passengers from trucks and buses and shot them after checking their identity cards.

The organised attacks began late August 25, targeting Levies and Police stations in Mastung, Kalat, Pasni, and Suntsar, resulting in many casualties. Explosions and grenade attacks were reported in Sibi, Panjgur, Mastung, Turbat, Bela, and Quetta, with terrorists blowing up a railway track near Mastung.

As the day progressed, it emerged that six bodies were discovered in Bolan. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a statement later in the day, saying that 21 terrorists had been killed, while 14 security personnel were martyred during clearance operations.

The BLA on August 26 announced the successful completion of its “Fidayeen Operation Herof”, claiming to have killed 130 military personnel during a series of coordinated attacks across Balochistan.

In a statement released to the media, BLA ‘spokesperson’ Jeeyand Baloch claimed that the group’s elite ‘Fidayeen unit’, the Majeed Brigade, had “maintained control over the Bela camp for 20 hours,” during which “68 military personnel were killed and dozens more injured.”