A total of 2,782 militant, insurgent and sectarian related-terrorist's attacks were reported across the country in 2011 in which around 6,681 people were killed. The figure was taken after counting casualties caused by terrorist attacks, military operations, inter-tribal clashes and cross-border attacks (including drone strikes and incursions by Nato/ISAF forces in FATA) in Pakistan.
In comparison with corresponding year 2010, militant, insurgent and sectarian related attacks showed a considerable decline, as around 611 less attacks and 3,322 less deaths were reported in the out-going year. According to the data compiled by taking figures from Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies and other sources, 1850 terrorism and insurgent related incidents were recorded, wherein 2,369 personnel were killed and 1,625 people were killed in 275 clashed between security forces and militants, besides killing 869 militants in 129 military operations.
The US administration carried out 75 Drone attacks in which 557 people were killed, while in 51 cross border attacks 57 people were killed. Around 675 people lost their lives in 246 political and ethnic clashes and 455 were killed in 132 Inter-tribal clashes in 2011. The year 2011 was marred by a combination of Taliban militancy, Baloch nationalist insurgency, incidents of sectarian and political violence.
In January 2011, Baloch insurgents continued their attacks against government installations, personnel of law enforcement agencies, government functionaries and NGO workers. The recovery of dead bodies of Baloch youth from isolated places continued unabated. Karachi remained in the grip of politically motivated targeted killings and sectarian violence.
In February, owing to upsurge in terrorist attacks and deteriorating security situation in urban centres of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), provincial government decided to launch a major crackdown against suspected militant hideouts in Frontier Region (FR) Peshawar and Michni areas. It was also decided to increase presence of police personnel from 40,000 to 80,000. A cease fire agreement was signed between warring Sunni and Shia Sects of Kurram Agency, which led to the reopening of Thall-Parachinar road.
In March, the murder of Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti in Islamabad, suicide attacks on chief of Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Swabi and Charsadda districts, office of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in Faisalabad, a funeral prayer in Peshawar and on a patrolling van of Quick Response force in Hangu depict the resurgence of TTP. The cease-fire reached out between Sunni and Shia tribes of Kurram Agency seemed to be in jeopardy, as area was once again in the grip of violent activities.
The surge in violence was increased in April. In FATA clashes erupted between Mangal Bagh-led Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and an alliance of Zakhakhel militia, dissident faction of LI and Ansarul Islam (AI). Meanwhile, the February 5 cease-fire agreement signed between Sunni and Shia tribes of Kurram agency fell apart owing to an increase in attacks on traffic convoys along Thall-Parachinar highway. Bullet-riddled bodies of Baloch nationalist political leaders and activists continued providing fuel to separatist fervour of nationalist resistant movement. In retaliation Baloch militants killed a leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Khuzdar Chapter, Sardar Mahrullah Umrani. The assassinations of a former provincial legislature of MQM and a religious scholar of Jamia Binoria left city in a vicious cycle of violence. Moreover, TTP targeted three buses of Pakistan navy with remote controlled explosive devices in Karachi. With the exception of a suicide attack on the shrine of Sakhi Sarwar in Dera Ghazi Khan, situation in Punjab was more or less peaceful.
The abysmal security situation deteriorated further in May in the wake of former al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's killing in Abbotabad as TTP and other al Qaeda affiliated groups unleashed a string of multiple-co-ordinated reprisal attacks across the country. These revenge assails included some high profile attacks like ambush on Pakistan Navy's air base, PNS-Mehran, and target killing of a Saudi diplomat in Karachi, twin suicide bombing of FC headquarters in Charsadda district of KPK, a car suicide bombing of CID police station and assault on vehicles of US Regional Assistant Security Officers in Peshawar.
The upsurge witnessed in militant assails across the country in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden's killing in June. In an important development a dreaded al Qaeda leader and chief of Harkat-ul Jihad al Islamic (HUJI), Ilyas Kashmiri, was assassinated in a June 3 drone strike in South Waziristan agency. A new trend of large-scale cross-border militant raids from Afghanistan into border areas of Pakistan was also witnessed.
During July violence increased manifold in the country owing to deteriorating security situation. However, a considerable decrease was witnessed in US drone strikes. Cross-border militant raids also continued from Afghanistan into border area of Pakistan, albeit less intensively.
In August a new trend of female suicide bombing emerged on Pakistan's security landscape. The August 11 suicide attack in Peshawar was third documented incidents in which police confirmed involvement of a woman suicide attacker in Pakistan. The month of September saw an increase in cross border militancy, from Afghanistan into Pakistan's tribal areas. Pakistan army deployed regular army troops in border areas adjacent to Upper Dir, Lower Dir and Chitral.
After a series of high profile attacks by the Haqqani Network against the US forces in Afghanistan in October, American political and military leadership increased diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to destroy the hideouts and sanctuaries of the network in North Waziristan along with intensifying drone strikes in the tribal region. The rival factions in Kurram Agency signed a peace agreement to restore peace in the area.
The November 26 Nato air strikes on two Pakistani military check posts in Mohmand Agency in FATA, which resulted in killing of 26 Pakistani soldiers, subsequent suspension of land route supplies to Nato forces stationed in Afghanistan, and vacation of Shamsi Airbase by the US on Pakistan's demand, not only further strained Pakistan-US relations but also added to Pakistan's security concerns about its western border with Afghanistan.
In December around ten people were killed and over 30 others injured when a powerful car bomb went off on the Arbab Karam Khan Road in the provincial capital. Twenty-seven militants and two soldiers were killed in clashes between militants and security forces and bombing by warplanes in Orakzai and Khurram agencies. Around 14 persons including women and girls were killed in Gujranwala on property dispute.
Comments
Comments are closed.