Pakistan security forces witness highest casualties in nearly a decade: Report

Pakistani security forces have witnessed the highest casualties in eight years with at least 386 personnel killed in the first nine months of 2023, said a report by the Islamabad-based think tank, Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).

The report also noted a troubling 57 per cent surge in violence across Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Army chief General Syed Asim Munir, on Sunday (Oct 1) vowed to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country through “unabated” military operations against militants.

Violence-related fatalities in Pakistan

The CRSS report covered the third quarter of 2023, during which 445 Pakistani security personnel lost their lives and 440 people were injured in 190 terror attacks and counter-terror operations.

The CRSS Security Report for Q3 also highlighted that security forces accounted for 36 per cent of the 1,087 violence-related fatalities recorded this year, which marks an eight-year high.

As many as 137 army personnel and 208 police personnel were killed in violence-related fatalities recorded in 2023, said the report.

Surge in violence

The think tank noted that the rise of violence is particularly concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan as the regions, over the past five years, have witnessed a consistent and alarming increase in violence.

According to the CRSS, 92 per cent of all fatalities in the first nine months of 2023 took place in these regions which is a 20 per cent rise when compared to 2019. During this time, as per the report, KP and Balochistan accounted for 94 per cent of all fatalities and 89 per cent of recorded attacks.

Balochistan recorded a staggering 131 per cent increase in violence, while KP witnessed a 28 per cent rise. The report also noted that Pakistan’s Sindh region witnessed a 283 per cent rise in incidents of violence but the number of fatalities remained relatively low.

According to CRSS, a majority of the casualties in this quarter resulted from terrorism, with 141 terrorist attacks killing and injuring 699 civilians and security personnel, with the former being the hardest-hit group in Q3.

Pakistan Army chief vows to eliminate terrorism

“These terrorists and their facilitators, having no link with religion and ideology, are proxies of the enemies of Pakistan and its people,” said Munir after the twin blasts on Friday. The statement also comes a day after the Chief of Army Staff visited Quetta where he was briefed about the attacks.

“Our operation against terrorists would continue unabated and the Armed Forces, Intelligence and Law Enforcement Agencies shall not rest till the menace of terrorism is rooted out from the country,” the army chief added.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Balochistan. Meanwhile, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan, denied its involvement.

(With inputs from agencies)

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