Terrorist attacks surge to 59 in August from 38 in July

ISLAMABAD: The country continues to experience increased terrorist attacks as a total of 59 terrorist attacks occurred across the country in August 2024 compared to 38 such attacks in the previous month.

According to the digital database of security events administered by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think tank, these occurrences comprised 29 assaults in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 28 in Balochistan, and two in Punjab, with 84 persons killed and 166 wounded.

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Balochistan suffered 28 terrorist attacks in August 2024, killing 57 and injuring another 84. The majority of the province’s terrorism-related deaths were caused by the prohibited BLA-orchestrated assaults on August 26 in more than seven districts, which targeted security personnel, non-Baloch people (mostly Punjabis), and national infrastructure.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 29 terrorist incidents occurred, killing 25 people and injuring 80 others. The assaults were purportedly carried out by the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Lashkar-i-Islam, Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), and a few local Taliban factions.

Meanwhile, two alleged assaults in Punjab injured two bystanders, and two assailants were slain. In August, security forces and police counterterrorism departments (CTDs) carried out 12 anti-militant operations around the nation, up from 11 the previous month.

In these operations, 88 insurgents were slain, while 15 army personnel and three police officers were martyred. Eight of the 12 recorded activities occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with four others taking place in Balochistan.

Of the 28 incidents registered in Balochistan in August this year, 26 were carried out by the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), including the group’s massive terrorist strike on August 26.

According to PIPS’s monthly security assessment, the armed organization has expanded its destructive actions by carrying out high-impact strikes and utilizing female suicide bombers.

On August 26, the anniversary of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti’s death, the gang conducted synchronized attacks throughout Balochistan.

The research emphasizes that the involvement of a large number of militants, as well as the employment of advanced weaponry like as vehicle-borne explosives, demonstrate the BLA’s rising capabilities.

The organization has used new techniques, such as targeting Punjabis on roads and checking identity cards — a trend that may further strain ties between the province and the central government, which appears to be one of the banned entity’s goals.

Positioning itself as a champion of Baloch interests, the BLA capitalizes on concerns such as enforced disappearances and resource exploitation.

As the Baloch people lose trust in the political system, the organization may gain traction.

To address this, the study stated that the government must develop political and social spaces for the Baloch people.

Furthermore, there is an urgent need to look into the BLA’s sources of training, weaponry, and finance. The study recommended that Pakistan engage constructively with Afghanistan and Iran to build a combined counterterrorism and border security policy.