The Associated Press
PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistani security forces in 2024 suffered the highest casualties in nearly a decade while battling insurgency, an Islamabad-based research group said.
The Center for Research and Security Studies said in its report Tuesday that last year was the deadliest for Pakistani security forces in 9 years.
"On average, nearly seven lives were lost daily," according to the report, which tallied "at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks."
Recent Attacks
The data was released as militants mounted separate attacks on Tuesday on a security post, a government office, and a police van in the country's restive northwest, which borders Afghanistan, killing a policeman and two civilians, including a child.
Details of Attacks
An officer was also wounded in the first attack at the Draban Post in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a local police official said, adding that the civilian was an employee of the Customs department.
A child was killed in the second attack when a roadside bomb went off outside a government office in South Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a police official said. Also Tuesday, a roadside bomb struck a police vehicle in the northwestern Bannu district, wounding seven people, police said.
Insurgency Situation
No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but suspicion was likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, who often target security forces across the country, especially in the former tribal regions in the troubled northwest bordering Afghanistan.
Report Findings
The Center for Research and Security Studies said its latest report was based on data collected from open sources, mainly media outlets. In Pakistan, the military doesn't regularly confirm casualties among troops.
"Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e. 1612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded this year and marking 73% more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated," it said.
Expert Opinion
Abdullah Khan, the managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, released a report on Tuesday documenting the deteriorating law and order situation, saying "Pakistan witnessed a 40% surge in militant attacks in 2024 compared to 2023."
