Bajaur - After witnessing a nose dive in militancy incidents during past few years, a sudden surge in militancy and resultant casualties was observed in four out of seven merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the annual security report of the FATA Research Centre (FRC) for the year 2020 issued here on Thursday.
According to the report, a total of 169 violent incidents (137 terrorism and 32 counter-terrorism) incidents were recorded during the year 2020 compared to 160 (106 terrorism and 54 counter-terrorism) incidents in the preceding year.
This shows an increase of 29 percent in terrorism related incidents in the year 2020 as compared to the previous year.
A further breakdown of terrorism incidents shows that of a total 137 militancy incidents in 2020, 86 militancy attacks (51 percent) targeted ordinary civilians while 54 attacks (32 percent) were against security forces in the area. One militancy attack on trucks carrying goods for NATO forces in Afghanistan was also reported from Khyber tribal district.
The violent incidents of both terrorist and counter-terrorist, resulted in a total of 390 casualties – 226 killed and 164 injured – in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tribal districts, marking a significant increase of 37 per cent in overall casualties. Security forces remained the prime target of militants.
Of the total casualties, 146 casualties (65 killed and 81 injured) were that of security forces which accounted for 38 per cent of the overall casualties. The report said that civilians stood second with 143 casualties (80 killed and 63 injured).
It said that the growing number of target killings and IED attacks by militants, particularly in Khyber, Bajaur, North and South Waziristan districts were the main causes of the high number of civilian casualties during the year 2020.
Comparatively, 62 percent increase in civilian casualties was observed in the reporting year as compared to the year 2019.
Similarly, high numbers of militant casualties were also reported during the outgoing year. 81 militants were killed and 20 were injured in 28 intelligence based operation across the merged tribal districts.
The district wise comparative analysis of violent incidents in the year 2019 and 2020 shows that North Waziristan remained the most turbulent district during the reporting year followed by South Waziristan, Bajaur and Khyber districts.
According to Irfan-ud-Din, Senior Security Analyst at FATA Research Centre, Islamabad, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) led by Mufti Noor Wali Mahsud remained the major actor of instability in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tribal Districts (KPTDs).
“The reunification of various faction of TTP in July 2020 has further helped the group in enhancing its presence in the area,” said Irfan-ud-Din, adding that earlier militants were carrying out sporadic attacks against civilians and security forces but after the re-unification of various faction of TTP, their operational capacity had increased significantly in the merged tribal districts, particularly in the North and South Waziristan. Irfan-ud-Din said that Mufti Noor Wali Khan Mahsud, the current head of TTP, had played vital role to reunify the militant outfits.