Overview

After a relative decline in previous month, the number of terrorist attacks significantly increased in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in the month of September. Terrorism-related casualties phenomenally rose in KP mainly due to two lethal attacks in Peshawar that targeted Christian community at the All Saints Church and the Qissa Khawani market. Despite an increase in the number of reported attacks in Balochistan, terrorism-related casualties considerably plummeted. The number of attacks by the militants and incidents of ethno-political violence in Karachi and the resulting casualties decreased compared to previous month.

On the whole a total of 135 terrorist attacks were reported across Pakistan during September, 11 more than previous month, which claimed the lives of 270 people, representing an increase of about 58 percent compared to previous month, besides inflicting injuries on 532 others.
As many as 52 personnel of security forces were killed in terrorist attacks including 27 policemen, 23 army and paramilitary troops and two Levies along with 213 civilians and five militants; 65 personnel of security forces were killed in terrorist attacks in previous month. Those injured in terrorist attacks in September included 459 civilians, 44 army and paramilitary troops, 18 policemen, five personnel each of FC and Levies, and one militant.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), local Taliban and other militant groups of same category carried out 91 attacks in Pakistan that killed 236 and injured another 455 people. The nationalist insurgent groups in Balochistan perpetrated 30 attacks causing the death of 16 people and inflicting injuries on 51 others. Meanwhile 14 sectarian-related attacks claimed the lives of 18 people and wounded another 26. (See Chart 1a)
Except the Rangers’ targeted operation against militants and criminals in parts of Karachi, security forces did not launch any operational attack during the month. However, security forces entered into a total of eight armed clashes and encounters with the militants in different parts of country and also averted more than 20 terror bids.

Compared to a single drone attack reported in August, as many as three such strikes occurred in September in North and South Waziristan agencies. Meanwhile, a total of 12 cross-border attacks were reported within Pakistani side of its borders with India (8 attacks) and Afghanistan (4 attacks).
Highest number of attacks for any region of Pakistan was reported form Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) (38 attacks) followed by Balochistan (37), Sindh, mainly Karachi (31), and FATA (28). A major chunk of terrorism-related casualties was also concentrated in KP (171 killed, 384 injured), followed by FATA (33 killed, 46 injured), Sindh (33 killed, 26 injured), and Balochistan (26 killed, 73 injured). One sectarian-related terrorist attack was also reported from Punjab that killed seven and injured three people. (See Chart 1)

Chart 1: Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan in August 2013

A classification of the overall reported terrorist attacks from Pakistan in the month of September based on their perpetrators and nature is given in the chart below:

 

Chart 1a: Classification of Terrorist Attacks by Perpetrators/ Nature of Attacks

Security forces and law enforcement agencies, civilians, Christian community, members of Shia and Sunni religious communities, state installations and public and private property, political leaders and tribal elders, and NATO supply vehicles were among the main targets hit by the militants during the month under review. A target-wise distribution of reported terrorist attacks in Pakistan in September is given in the table below.

Meanwhile officials of bomb disposal squad and security forces foiled at least 25 terror bids in September, including 13 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six in Balochistan, five in different agencies of FATA, and one in Lahore, provincial capital of Punjab.
The total number of casualties in 219 reported overall incidents of violence across Pakistan–including above mentioned terrorist attacks, incidents of ethno-political violence, operational attacks by the security forces and their clashes with the militants and criminals, inter-militant and inter-tribal clashes, cross-border attacks, and criminal gangs’ clashes as well as drone strikes –stood at 380 people dead and 582 injured as described in the table below.

 

Chart 2: Comparison with Last Three Months’ Figure

 

As in previous month, civilians faced the highest number of casualties in September in overall violent incidents (described at Table 2) compared to militants and security forces with 258 dead and 494 injured. As many as 65 militants and 57 personnel of security forces were also killed during the month. (See Chart 3, Table 2a)

 

Chart 3: Detail of Overall Casualties

Militants used firing or direct shootout and IEDs in carrying out most of the attacks. Different other attack tactics used by the militants during the month of September are given in the table below. Table 2a: Distribution of Security Forces’ Casualties Security Forces Killed Injured Army and Paramilitary FC 27 53 Police 27 18 Levies 2 6 Rangers 1 0 Total 57 77

Militants used firing or direct shootout and IEDs in carrying out most of the attacks. Different other attack tactics used by the militants during the month of August are given in the table below.