The prediction by several intelligence analysts that the spike of instability in Afghanistan will lead to a rise in militancy in Pakistan as well is turning out to be true. In an extremely tragic incident, four people were martyred and 20 injured on Sunday in a suicide attack near a Frontier Corps (FC) check post on Mastung Road in Quetta. So far, 18 of the injured were security officials while two were bystanders. Previously three were reported martyred, but an update has confirmed that now four people have been martyred, indicating that the number of casualties may yet rise.
This incident follows multiple terrorist attacks in the region. Near the end of August, an explosion led to the martyrdom of three Levies personnel when their vehicle ran over a landmine near Mangi Dam, in Balochistan’s Ziarat District. Earlier that week, a Pakistan Army captain was martyred and two soldiers injured when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by terrorists in the Gichik area. On August 8, two policemen were martyred and 12 others injured in an explosion near Quetta’s Serena Hotel.
This uptick in violence, while not surprising, is alarming. Most of these attacks were all claimed by different banned terrorist groups. This one was claimed by the TTP- but some others have been taken responsibility by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and more alarmingly, there has been evidence of the functioning of ISIS as well.
Security officials, who expected such deviant forces to take advantage of the Afghanistan situation, have been bravely carrying out operations to weed out this terror, and these attacks are likely the response to such operations. While these operations are vital, other tactics now must also be considered. The world seems to be moving towards a global effort to remove ISIS’s terror; amongst regional cooperation, other options like increasing border security and focusing on development in vulnerable regions must also be considered to curb this spread of terror.