Security situation again deteriorates as militant attacks increased by two times in March 2022: PICSS Report

ISLAMABAD, April 01 (SABAH): The number of militant attacks doubled in March as compared to the number of attacks in the month of February, raising questions about the deteriorating security situation. The sudden surge in militant attacks in the month of March proved that the decrease of militant attacks in February was just a statistical blip and the security situation does not seem to be getting any better. As TTP has announced an offensive operation “Al-Badar” against security forces in month of Ramadan.

According to statistics released by an Islamabad-based independent think tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) the number of militant attacks increased by two times during March and concurrently the deaths and injuries rate also increased by four times and nine times respectively compared with February 2022. The main reason for the increase in causalities and injuries was a suicide attack in a Mosque in Peshawar the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In March, the militants have carried out 26 attacks in which 115 people were killed including 31 security forces personnel, 70 civilians and 14 militants, and 288 people got injured including 63 security forces personnel and 225 civilians. While militants had carried out 13 attacks across the country in February 2022, in which 25 people were killed and 30 people got injured.

In March 2022, most of the attacks took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), followed by erstwhile FATA (tribal districts of KP) and Balochistan. PICSS has recorded nine militant attacks in KP in which 77 people were killed, including 11 security forces personnel, four militants, and 62 civilians, while 216 people were injured, including 27 security forces personnel and 189 civilians. In the erstwhile FATA, militants carried out eight attacks in which 22 people were killed, including nine security forces personnel and nine militants, while 12 people got injured, of which eight were civilians and four were security forces personnel.

In Balochistan, six militant attacks were witnessed in which 11 security forces personnel, three civilians and one militant was killed while 60 people were injured, including 32 security forces personnel and 28 civilians. In Sindh, three militant attacks took place in which one civilian got killed and no one was injured. In Punjab, no militant attack took place during the month.

It is worth noting that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed 39 militant attacks in March 2022, however, most of their claims could not be verified independently.

Meanwhile, Pakistani security forces carried out 13 actions against militants in which 38 suspected militants were arrested and 29 militants were killed. The majority of arrests took place in the province of KP.