Pakistan sees more terrorism since Taliban took power in Afghanistan
At least 294 terrorist attacks were recorded during 2021
Political workers push an injured friend on a stretcher into a hospital after a bomb explosion in Quetta on December 30, 2021 AFP
DPA
Publish : 03 Jan 2022, 09:39 PMUpdate : 03 Jan 2022, 09:41 PM
Pakistan recorded a 56% increase in the number of incidents of terrorism in 2021, following a decline lasting several years, according to a report that attributed the development to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
At least 294 terrorist attacks were recorded during 2021, the report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) think-tank said.
The attacks include suicide explosions, bombings, gun attacks, ambushes against security forces and shootouts.
The figure compares to 188 attacks in 2020, said the institute that tracks terrorism.
The increase in the number of terror attacks in Pakistan was recorded for the first time since 2014 when security forces launched offensives against Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the National Counter-Terrorism Authority said.
At least 395 people – more than half of them security personnel – were killed during 2021, the report added.
Officials in Islamabad and security analysts attribute the rise in violence to the Taliban who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
Most of the attacks were carried out by the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group that follows the same hard-line version of Islam as their Afghan counterparts, but with a different organizational setup.
The Pakistani Taliban, allegedly operating from bases in the border regions of Afghanistan, have been emboldened by the gains of their Afghan counterparts, security analyst Fida Khan said.
“This should be taken as a warning sign that militants in Islamabad can spread to other parts of south and central Asia after the Taliban's capture of Afghanistan,” Khan added.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed 45 attacks in December, the highest during the year, which could indicate that 2022 may be even worse, Khan said.
Pakistan sees more terrorism since Taliban took power in Afghanistan
Pakistan recorded a 56% increase in the number of incidents of terrorism in 2021, following a decline lasting several years, according to a report that attributed the development to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
At least 294 terrorist attacks were recorded during 2021, the report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) think-tank said.
The attacks include suicide explosions, bombings, gun attacks, ambushes against security forces and shootouts.
The figure compares to 188 attacks in 2020, said the institute that tracks terrorism.
The increase in the number of terror attacks in Pakistan was recorded for the first time since 2014 when security forces launched offensives against Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the National Counter-Terrorism Authority said.
At least 395 people – more than half of them security personnel – were killed during 2021, the report added.
Officials in Islamabad and security analysts attribute the rise in violence to the Taliban who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
Most of the attacks were carried out by the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group that follows the same hard-line version of Islam as their Afghan counterparts, but with a different organizational setup.
The Pakistani Taliban, allegedly operating from bases in the border regions of Afghanistan, have been emboldened by the gains of their Afghan counterparts, security analyst Fida Khan said.
“This should be taken as a warning sign that militants in Islamabad can spread to other parts of south and central Asia after the Taliban's capture of Afghanistan,” Khan added.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed 45 attacks in December, the highest during the year, which could indicate that 2022 may be even worse, Khan said.
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