LANDIKOTAL (By Ashrafuddin Pirzada) “As many as 153 terrorism and 171 counter terrorism actions were recorded in last year” adding to 16 percent increase as compare to 2016” says the report on FATA, prepared by a research center.
Report further adds that 153 terrorist incidents happened in 2017; while 73 terrorist attacks were carried out to target the security forces and 71 attacks were conducted against civilians. Seven terrorist attacks targeted members of civil militia locally known as Amn Lashkar. Two incident of infighting between terrorist groups were also report during the year last year.
Fata Research Centre (FRC) issued annual report said that despite witnessing relative calm since the launch of military operation “Zarb-e-Azb” in June 2014, and Radul-Fasad in 2017, people in tribal areas met with an upscale of violence and witnessed 324 untoward terrorism related incidents.
Security analyst Irfanuddin of FRC told ENN that they collected data from various sources including media and the government departments. He told that violent incidents both terrorist and counter-terrorist, resulted in a total of 1207 casualties in which 539 were killed and 668 got injured across Fata, marking an increase of 37 percent in overall casualties.
The report mentioned that total 760 casualties (138 Killed and 437 Injured) were of the civilians, accounting for 63 percent of the overall casualties. 128 casualties (63 Killed and 65 Injured) were inflicted upon security forces which makes 11 percent of the overall casualties.
The civilian casualties were particularly high in the Kurram Agency, which borders Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan on its west. A total of 575 civilian casualties including 138 deaths and 437 injuries were recorded from Kurram Agency, which accounted for three-quarters of the overall civilian casualties.
Bajaur Agency remained second in terms of civilian casualties in which 18 terrorist attacks resulted in 68 civilian casualties (16 killings and 52 injuries), making up nine percent of the overall all civilian casualties.
Similarly, 39 casualties (seven killings and 32 injuries) were reported from Mohmand Agency, while South Waziristan, North Waziristan and Khyber Agencies with around three percent each followed the list.
The report said that Orakzai Agency remained the most peaceful agency with least number of civilian casualties with 18 (five killings and 13 injuries) were reported from Orakzai which accounts for two percent of the overall civilian casualties.
It further said Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State of Khorasan (IS-K), Hakeemullah Mahsud, Wazir groups, Haqqani Network, Lask-e-Jhangvi Almi and TTP-Jamat-ul-Ahrar remained the major actors of instability.
Report reveals that mentioned terrorist groups currently are based in Afghanistan by forming new alliances and re-invigorating the old ones were managed to carry out terrorist attacks against security forces, civilians and member of Amn Lashkar.
According to report “IS-K has already established new bases in Jawzjan, Faryab, Balkh, Kunduz, Takar, Badkhshan, Nuristan, Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Khosht and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan. To further entrench its network, IS-K is also offering 1,000 US dollars per month salary for fresh recruits and disgruntled Taliban fighters, particularly in areas close to the North Waziristan, Kurram and Khyber Agencies of Fata which has created new threats for Fata region.
Irfan cautioned that new alliance of IS-K with TTP, Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), and Jamat-ul-Ahrar (TTP-JuA), currently stationed inside Afghanistan had further compounded these threats and may trigger massive wave of violence not only in Fata but in other parts of Pakistan as well.
