KABUL (BNA):A research center in Pakistan has reported that at least 432 individuals have been killed in the first three months of the year 2024 as a result of attacks by militant groups, with more than 92% of the total casualties attributed to two provinces of Pakistan that share a border with Afghanistan.
The findings of a three-month study by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), based in Islamabad, have recently been released, indicating that in January, February, and March of the current year, at least 245 terrorist attacks occurred in the country, including limited instances of counter-terrorism operations.
These attacks in the first three months of 2024 have resulted in at least 432 deaths and 370 injuries, encompassing civilians, security personnel, and, in some limited cases, militants who have been killed in engagements with Pakistani security forces.
The report states that the northwestern provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both located along the Durand Line (the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan), accounted for more than 92% of the total casualties and 86% of the total attacks during this time period.
The findings of this center indicate that in the first three months of the year 2024, Balochistan witnessed a staggering 96% increase in violence, with the number of victims rising from 91 in the first three months of 2023 to 178. Despite repeated allegations against the Taliban regime for supporting the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allowing them to operate from Afghan soil, the Taliban have consistently rejected such accusations. They claim to have no affiliation with the TTP and assert their commitment to not permitting any individual or group to utilize Afghan territory as a base for launching attacks against neighbouring countries, including Pakistan.
Despite these assertions, the accusations persist, raising concerns about the ongoing security challenges faced by the region.
Violence has increased by 96% in provinces bordering Afghanistan
