Terrorist attacks in Pakistan fall 66% in five weeks, PICSS report says

Terrorist attacks in Pakistan fell by approximately 66 per cent over five weeks, according to a new report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

The report said the number of attacks fell from 61 recorded between 18 and 24 September to 21 between 16 and 22 October. It also recorded a 38 per cent week-on-week decline in militant attacks during 16–22 October, Dunya News reported.

Security forces conducted 10 operations during the week, in which 33 militants were killed, according to the report. The number of people injured in attacks dropped from 20 in the preceding week to 11, a 45 per cent decrease.

The decline in attacks did not bring an equally sharp fall in deaths: militant violence killed 22 people during 16–22 October, compared with 23 the previous week, 24NewsHD reported. Abductions rose from 24 to 41, almost all of them reported in Balochistan, which accounted for 12 of the week’s 21 attacks.

The report also examined an emerging leadership dispute within a Baloch militant faction and evolving propaganda strategies of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It said security challenges remained in parts of the country despite the decline in attack numbers.

Sources: Dunya News, The Nation, 24NewsHD.