Overview
Apart from an overall increase in the number of terrorist attacks and consequent casualties as compared to previous month, January 2013 witnessed a horrible mass murder of Hazara Shia community in a twin suicide blast in Quetta that led to the imposition of Governor’s rule in Balochistan. The targeted killings of Sunni and Shia religious scholars and activists continued unabated throughout the month, particularly in Karachi. Security forces, their convoys and check posts, too, were frequently targeted by the terrorists across Pakistan during the month under review.

A total of 215 terrorist attacks were reported from different regions of Pakistan in the first month of 2013, representing an increase of 21 percent as compared to the previous month, which left 321 people dead, 37 percent more than those killed in such attacks in previous month, and 559 others injured. (See Chart 1) Out of 215 attacks, 32 were sectarian in nature that claimed the lives of 119 people and injured 143 others. Quetta and Karachi were the most affected areas by sectarian violence in the month under review. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups perpetrated 133 attacks across Pakistan causing the death of 138 people and inflicting injuries on 304 others. Another 64 people lost their lives and 112 were injured in attacks carried out by nationalist insurgents, largely in Balochistan.

In terms of casualties, Balochistan was the most troubled region of the country in the month of January as more than 48 percent of the overall fatalities in terrorist attacks across Pakistan were concentrated in Balochistan alone, including more than 80 members of Hazara Shia community who died in a lethal sectarian-related suicide bombing in Quetta on January 10.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was the worst militancy-hit region in terms of the number of reported terrorist attacks. As many as 73 terrorist attacks took place in KP during the month, the highest number of attacks from any region of Pakistan, which resulted in the death of 50 people and injuries to another 135.

With an exception of Bajaur Agency, terrorist attacks were reported from all agencies of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) during the month under review. In terms of the number of fatalities in terrorist attacks, FATA was the second most troubled region of the country after Balochistan where 62 people were killed and another 90 injured in 40 reported terrorist attacks. More than half of the total attacks reported form FATA occurred in Khyber Agency.

Karachi, too, presented a dismal security picture in the month of January largely due to heightened sectarian violence and rising militant attacks in addition to the incidents of ethno-political violence.

Four terrorist attacks were reported from Punjab including two of sectarian nature. The security situation in Islamabad, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir remained peaceful as far as terrorist attacks are concerned.

Chart 1: Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan in January 2013

When counted together in above mentioned terrorist/insurgent attacks, operational attacks by the security forces and their clashes with the militants, incidents of ethno-political violence, inter-militants clashes, and cross- border attacks as well as drone strikes, the overall number of the people killed during the month stood at 644 and those of injured at 707 in a total of 276 reported incidents of violence of different type. (See Table 1)   
A considerable number of local and foreign militants (48) was killed in US-led drone attacks in FATA in the reporting month including Pakistani Taliban commander Maulvi Nazir and Sheikh Yasin Al Kuwaiti, a senior Al Qaeda operative. Five of these attacks took place in North and two in South Waziristan Agency.

As many as 76 militants were killed and 40 others injured in five reported incidents of inter-militant clashes during the month under review. All these clashes were reported from Khyber Agency, three between the TTP and Ansarul Islam (AI), one between AI and Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants and another clash between LI militants and armed militia of a local peace committee.

A total of seven cross-border attacks and clashes were reported in January, five from Pak-India and three on Pak-Afghan border, that left four people dead including 3 soldiers of Pakistan Army and three others injured.

Security forces launched 15 attacks against militants and nationalist insurgents during the month of January killing as many as 148 militants and injuring another 60. Most of these attacks (13) were launched in tribal agencies of FATA while two were carried out in Balochistan. Security forces entered into armed clashes with militants many times during the month in settled districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A comparison of this month’s security situation–using the variables of the number of overall attacks/clashes given in Table 1 and the resulting killings and injuries–with the last month’s security landscape reveals a sharp upward trend. (See Chart 2) The overall number of attacks/clashes and the number of deaths and injuries caused by these incidents went up in this month as compared to the last month.   

Chart 2: Comparison with Last Three Months’ Figure

As in the previous month, civilians faced the highest number of casualties compared to the militants and the security forces as 331 civilians were killed and 486 others injured in overall reported incidents of violence across country. As many as 246 militants were killed and 95 others injured in this month in security forces’ operational attacks and clashes with them and also inter-militant clashes reported from Khyber Agency. Moreover, 67 security personnel were also killed and 126 others sustained injuries. (See Chart 3, Table 2)

Chart 3: Detail of Overall Casualties

Table 2: Distribution of Security Forces’ Casualties Type Killed Injured Frontier Corps (FC) 13 36 Police 27 29 Army 22 34 Levies 0 1 Paramilitary 5 26 Total 67 126

Direct firing or shootout and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were the most frequently used tactic by militants to hit their targets with 75 and 63 reported attacks, respectively. Rockets, used in 21 attacks, remote controlled bombs used in 18 attacks, hand grenades used in 10 attacks, bomb blasts used in 9 attacks, and landmines in 8 attacks, were among the other foremost tactics used by the militants in this month. (See Table 3)