Pakistan

Casualties

In December 2022, there were 15 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, 12 of which caused 116 civilian casualties, 14 of whom were killed and 102 injured. Civilian casualties included at least one woman and four children. Civilians accounted for 75% of the total 154 casualties of explosive weapon use, as 38 armed-actor casualties were also recorded, 18 of whom were killed and 20 injured.

All civilian casualties occurred in populated areas. Specifically, 48% (56) occurred in urban residential areas, 33% (38) in commercial premises, 14% (16) in police stations, 3% (3) in urban residential areas, 2% (2) on roads, and <1% (1) in markets.

The provinces in which the most civilian casualties were reported in Pakistan were Balochistan (97 civilian casualties), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (12), and Islamabad (7). 

The majority of civilian casualties, 57% (66), were caused by non-state actors’ use of explosive weapons, specifically unknown non-state actors (56 civilian casualties) and the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) (10). Use by state actors caused 42% (49) of civilian casualties, specifically unknown state actors (33 civilian casualties) and Afghan armed forces (16). Actors of unknown name and status caused <1% (1) of civilian casualties.

Ground-launched weapons caused 59% (68) of civilian casualties, specifically multiple ground-launched weapon types (33 civilian casualties), grenades (19), and non-specific shelling (16). Directly-emplaced weapons caused 41%(48) of civilian casualties, specifically non-specific IEDs (41 civilian casualties) and car bombs (7).

The highest casualty incident occurred on 11 December 2022, when nine civilians were killed and 24 injured in artillery shelling and gunfire in Chaman, Balochistan.

Civilian casualties of explosive weapon use in Pakistan in December rose considerably compared to November, when nine incidents caused 19 reported civilian casualties (10 killed, 9 injured). In October, 13 incidents of explosive weapon use were recorded, which resulted in 28 reported civilian casualties (seven killed, 21 injured).

Sources: Pajhwok, Reuters, Minute Mirror

Casualties

In November 2022, there were nine recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, eight of which caused 19 civilian casualties, 10 of whom were killed and nine injured. Civilian casualties included at least two children and one woman. Civilians accounted for 35% of the total 55 casualties of explosive weapon use, as 36 armed-actor casualties were also recorded in November.

The highest casualty incident occurred on 30November 2022, when two civilians were killed and three injured in a suicide attack targeting police in Quetta. One police officer was also killed and 20 were injured.

Sources: Dawn, Nation, Pajhwok

Casualties

In October 2022, there were 13 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, eight of which caused 28 civilian casualties, seven of whom were killed and 21 injured. Civilian casualties included at least three children and three women. Civilians accounted for 60% of the total 47 casualties of explosive weapon use, as 19 armed-actor casualties were also recorded in October, four of whom were killed and 15 injured. 

The highest casualty incident occurred on 14 October 2022, when three civilians were killed and five injured when their vehicle hit a landmine in Mastung's Kabo area, Balochistan.

Sources: Balochistan Express, Dawn, Tribune PK

Casualties

In September 2022, there were 15 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, nine of which caused 53 civilian casualties, eight of whom were killed and 45 injured. Civilian casualties included at least four children and two women. Civilians accounted for 68% of the total 78 casualties of explosive weapon use, as 25 armed-actor casualties were also recorded in September, eight of whom were killed and 17 injured. 

The majority of civilian casualties, 91% (48), occurred in populated areas. Specifically, 42% (22) occurred in markets, 26% (14) occurred on roads, 11% (6) in commercial premises, 4% (2) in schools, 4% (2) in police stations, 2% (1) in villages and 2% (1) agricultural lands.

The states in which civilian casualties were reported in Pakistan were Balochistan (42 civilian casualties), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (19), Punjab (6), and Sindh (2). 

The majority of civilian casualties, 68% (36), were caused by non-state actors' use of explosive weapons. Specifically, 32 were caused by unknown non-state actors and four by the Pakistani Taliban. Groups of unknown name and status were the reported perpetrator in the case of the remaining 32% (17) of civilian casualties. 

Directly-emplaced weapons were the cause of 55% (29) of civilian casualties, specifically non-specific IEDs (23), roadside bombs (5), and landmines (1). Ground-launched weapons caused 45% (24) of civilian casualties, specifically grenades. 

The highest casualty incident occurred on 30 September 2022, when two civilians were killed and 22 injured in an IED explosion at a sweet shop in Kohlu market, Balochistan.

The number of recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan in September 2022 saw a small decrease from August, when 20 incidents caused 68 civilian casualties (10 killed, 58 injured). In July, nine incidents were recorded and seven civilians injured.

Sources: PakObserver, Global Village, Express Tribune

Casualties

In August 2022, there were 20 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, 18 of which caused 68 civilian casualties, 10 of whom were killed and 58 injured. Civilian casualties included at least seven children and two women. Civilians accounted for 69% of the total 98 casualties of explosive weapon use, as 30 armed-actor casualties were also recorded in August, 17 of whom were killed and 13 injured. 

The majority of civilian casualties, 71% (48), occurred in populated areas. Specifically, 34% (23) occurred in markets, 12% (8) at hotels, 12% (8) in commercial premises, 4% (3) on roads, 3% (2) in transport-related infrastructure, 3% (2) in urban residential areas, and 3% (2) in other locations. An additional 21% (14) of civilian casualties occurred on unpopulated roads, and 9% (6) in other locations.

The states in which civilian casualties were reported in Pakistan were Balochistan (41 civilian casualties), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (19), Punjab (6), and Sindh (2). 

The majority of civilian casualties, 54% (37), were caused by non-state actors' use of explosive weapons, specifically unknown non-state actors. Groups of unknown name and status were the reported perpetrator in the case of 37% (25) of civilian casualties. State actors were the reported perpetrators of 9% (6) of civilian casualties, specifically India.

Directly-emplaced weapons were the cause of 57% (39) of civilian casualties, specifically non-specific IEDs (22), roadside bombs (11), and mines (6). Ground-launched weapons caused 43% (29) of civilian casualties, specifically grenades. 

The highest casualty incident occurred on 04 August 2022, when one man was killed and 14 civilians injured, including two children, in a grenade attack on a roadside stall selling national flags, in the build-up to Independence Day celebrations.

The number of recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan in August 2022 saw a significant rise from July, in which nine incidents were recorded and seven civilians injured. In June, four reported incidents of explosive weapon use caused 12 civilian casualties (one killed and 11 injured).

Sources: Dawn, Dunya

Casualties

In July 2022, there were nine incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Pakistan, three of which caused seven civilian casualties, all of whom were injured. At least three children were recorded among the civilian casualties. Civilians accounted for 19% of the total 36 casualties, as 29 armed actor casualties were also recorded, four of whom were killed and 25 injured.

The highest casualty incident took place on 24 July 2022, when three children were injured in a landmine explosion on their way home from school in south Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sources: Dawn

Casualties

In June 2022, there were six incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Pakistan, which caused 20 civilian casualties, four of whom were killed and 16 injured. At least two children were recorded among the civilian casualties. Civilians accounted for 91% of the total 22 casualties, as two armed-actors were injured in Pakistan in June.

The highest casualty incident took place on 22 June 2022, when a man and his four-year-old son were killed, and five other civilians were injured, in an unexploded ordnance blast in a junk dealer’s shop, as they were trying to extract metal from the unexploded mortar shell, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Sources: Dunya, Sedi

Casualties

In May 2022, there were 12 incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Pakistan, 11 of which caused 46 civilian casualties, eight of whom were killed and 38 injured. At least seven children and two women were recorded among the civilian casualties. Civilians accounted for 81% of all casualties, as 11 armed-actor casualties were also recorded in May, of whom six were killed and five injured.

The majority of civilian casualties, 83% (38), occurred in populated areas. Specifically, 30% (14) occurred in urban residential areas, 26% (12) in markets, 17% (8) in villages, 7% (3) in commercial premises, and 2% (1) at police stations. 

The regions in which civilian casualties were reported in Pakistan were Sindh (24 civilian casualties), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (12), Balochistan (7), and Punjab (3).

The majority of civilian casualties, 83% (38), were caused by unknown non-state actors’ use of explosive weapons. Actors of unknown status and name caused the remaining 17% (8) of civilian casualties. 

Directly-emplaced weapons were the cause of 83% (38) of civilian casualties, specifically non-specific IEDs (22) and roadside bombs (16). Ground-launched weapons caused 17% (8) of civilian casualties, specifically grenades. 

The highest casualty incident took place on 12 May 2022, when one civilian was killed and 11 injured in an IED explosion on a busy street in Karachi. Two security personnel were also injured in the attack. 

The number of recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan in May 2022 saw a sharp rise from April, in which eight incidents were recorded that caused 22 civilian casualties (10 killed and 12 injured). In March, however, six reported incidents of explosive weapon use caused 288 civilian casualties (59 killed, 229 injured). 

Sources: AP, VOA

Casualties

In April 2022, there were eight recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, six of which caused 22 civilian casualties, 10 of whom were killed and 12 injured. At least two children and six women were recorded amongst the civilian casualties. Civilians accounted for 65% of the total 34 recorded casualties, as there were also 12 armed-actor casualties recorded, seven of whom were killed and five injured. 

Directly-emplaced weapons, specifically improvised explosive devices, were the cause of 82% (18) of civilian casualties, and ground-launched weapons, specifically grenades, caused 18% (4) of civilian casualties. 

Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera, AP

Casualties

In March 2022, there were five recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, of which three caused 281 civilian casualties, 59 of whom were killed and 222 injured. Civilians accounted for 86% of the total 321 recorded casualties, as there were also 40 armed-actor casualties recorded, 13 of whom were killed and 27 injured.

All civilian casualties from explosive weapon use occurred in populated areas. The locations in which civilian casualties occurred were a place of worship (250 civilian casualties), commercial premises (28), and a public building (3). 

Explosive weapon use and the resulting civilian casualties took place in two provinces in Pakistan in March 2022. These were Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (250 civilian casualties) and Balochistan (31).

Directly-emplaced weapons, specifically improvised explosive devices (278 civilians) and roadside bombs (3), were the cause of all civilian casualties. 

Non-state actors were the reported perpetrator in the case of all 281 civilian casualties. Of these non-state actors, the Islamic State in Pakistan were the reported perpetrator of three civilian casualties, and the group was unknown in the case of 278 civilian casualties. The perpetrator status and group was unknown in the case of nine civilian casualties (47%). 

The incident with the highest number of civilian casualties occurred on 4 March 2022, when 56 civilians were killed and 194 wounded in a suicide attack with improvised explosive devices at a Shia mosque in the old city of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The number of incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan in March saw a decline from February, in which 11 incidents were recorded, to the same number of incidents recorded in January, at five. The number of civilian casualties, however, saw a drastic increase from the previous month, largely as a result of the high casualty incident recorded on 4 March 2022.

Sources: Dawn, Reuters

Casualties

In February 2022, there were 11 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan. Across seven of these incidents, there were 19 civilian casualties recorded, four of whom were killed and 15 injured. Civilians accounted for 33% of the total 57 recorded casualties, as there were also 38 armed-actor casualties recorded, 22 of whom were killed and 16 injured.

Nine of the 19 civilian casualties from explosive weapon use occurred in populated areas. The population density in the location of the other two civilian casualties was unknown. The locations in which civilian casualties occurred were public transport (6), urban residential areas (6), an armed base (4), a location in which the detonation of an explosive weapon affects multiple types of spaces within an urban environment (2), and a road (1). 

Explosive weapon use and the resulting civilian casualties took place in three provinces in Pakistan in February 2022. These were Balochistan (13 civilian casualties), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (4) and Sindh (2). 

The use of ground-launched weapons, specifically grenades, were the cause of 89% (17) of the 19 civilian casualties. Directly-emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs and roadside bombs, were the cause of two civilian casualties. 

The perpetrator status and group name was unknown in the case of nine civilian casualties (47%). Non-state actors were the reported perpetrator of 42% (8) of civilian casualties. Of these non-state actors, the Baloch Republican Guards were the reported perpetrator of six civilian casualties, and the group was unknown in the case of two civilian casualties. A combination of state and non-state actors were the reported perpetrators in the case of two civilian casualties.

The incident with the highest number of civilian casualties last month occurred on 8 February 2022, when one civilian was killed and five injured by a grenade explosion at a bus station in Dera Murad Jamali, Balochistan. The attack was perpetrated by non-state actors, the Baloch Republican Guards. 

Sources: Express Tribune, Daily Times, ANI

Casualties

In January 2022, there were five recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan. Across three of these incidents, there were 50 civilian casualties recorded, three of whom were killed and 47 injured. Civilians accounted for 77% of the total 65 recorded casualties, as there were also 15 armed-actor casualties recorded, four of whom were killed and 11 injured.

All civilian casualties from explosive weapon use occurred in populated areas. The locations in which civilian casualties occurred were a market (29), roads (15), and public transport (6).

The use of directly-emplaced weapons, specifically improvised explosive devices, were the cause of 70% (35) of civilian casualties, while ground-launched weapons, specifically grenades, were the cause of 30% (15) of civilian casualties. 

Non-state actors were the reported perpetrator of 70% (35) of civilian casualties. Of these non-state actors, the group was unknown in the case of 29 civilian casualties, and the Baloch Liberation Army was the reported perpetrator group in the case of six civilian casualties. The perpetrator status and group was unknown in the case of the remaining 30% (15) of civilian casualties. 

Explosive weapon use and the resulting civilian casualties took place in two provinces in Pakistan in January 2022. These were Punjab and Balochistan, where 29 and 21 civilian casualties were reported, respectively. 

The incident with the highest number of civilian casualties last month occurred on 20 January 2022, when at least three people were killed and 26 injured by an IED explosion at a market in Lahore, Punjab. The attack was perpetrated by unknown non-state actors. 

Civilian casualties of explosive weapon use increased by 11% from December 2021 to January 2022, a notably smaller increase than was recorded from November to December 2021, when civilian casualties increased by 50%. January 2022 was the first month in which there were no recorded civilian casualties from explosive weapon use in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The violence remains concentrated in Balochistan and primarily involves the use of non-specific improvised explosive decices, roadside bombs, grenades and landmines by non-state actors or unknown perpetrators. 

Sources: Reuters, AP

Casualties

In December 2021, there were seven incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, six of which caused a total of 45 civilian casualties, 11 of whom were killed and 34 injured. Civilians accounted for the vast majority of casualties, as only three armed-actor casualties were recorded, one of whom was killed and two injured. 

All civilian casualties from explosive weapon use occurred in populated areas. Specifically, 42% (19) occurred in schools, 38% in urban residential areas, 13% (6) in villages and 7% (3) on commercial premises. 

The use of directly-emplaced weapons, specifically improvised explosive devices and roadside bombs, were the cause of 93% (42) of civilian casualties, the perpetrators for which were all state-actors, though specific non-state group names were not identified. Ground-launched weapons, specifically grenades, were the cause of the remaining three civilian casualties and were caused by unknown actors. 

Explosive weapon use and the resulting civilian casualties took place in two provinces in Pakistan in December 2021. The majority, 80% (36) of civilian casualties, occurred in Balochistan and the remaining 20% (9) occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Civilian casualties of explosive weapon use increased by 50% from November 2021. The violence remains concentrated in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and primarily involves the use of non-specific improvised explosive decices, roadside bombs, grenades and landmines by non-state actors or unknown perpetrators. 

Sources: The Express Tribune, AP, The Hindu

Casualties

In November 2021, there were seven incidents of explosive weapon use that caused 30 civilian casualties. Of these, one civilian was killed and 29 were injured. Civilians accounted for 88% of the total 34 casualties. There were an additional 4 armed-actor casualties, including 2 deaths and 2 injuries. 

All civilian casualties from explosive weapon use occurred in populated areas. The location-types in which civilian casualties occurred were roads (16), a market (5), a public gathering (5), commercial premises (3), and transport related infrastructure (1). 

The use of directly-emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs and roadside bombs, were the cause of 70% (21) of civilian casualties, while ground-launched weapons, specifically grenades, were the cause of 30% (9) of civilian casualties.  

Explosive weapon use and the resulting civilian casualties took place in two provinces in Pakistan in November 2021. The majority, 83% (25) occurred in Balochistan and 17% (5) occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The highest casualty incident took place on 2 November 2021, when a motorcycle IED was remote-detonated on a busy road in Kharan, Balochistan, injuring 13 people. The IED was detonated as a Frontier Corps’ vehicle was passing, though no armed-actors were injured in the attack.

Sources: Dawn, IANS

Casualties

In October 2021, there were six recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, five of which resulted in nine civilian casualties, including three fatalities and six injuries. Civilians accounted for 30% (9) of the total recorded deaths and injuries (30). There were an additional 21 armed-actor casualties, five of which were killed and 16 injured. 

Nearly all civilian casualties (eight of nine) occured in populated areas, specifically a school (4), market (2), commercial premises (1) and road (1). Eight of the nine civilian casualties were caused by directly-emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs (7) and a roadside bomb (1), and one casualty was caused by a grenade. 

The highest casualty incident took place in Quetta, Balochistan, on 18 October 2021, when four civilians were injured by a motorcycle IED blast that targeted a police van. One armed-actor was killed and 13 were injured, all of whom were police officers. The perpetrator is unknown. 

Sources: Al Jazeera, Gandhara, The Express Tribune

Casualties

In September 2021, there were five incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, three of which resulted in civilian casualties. Five civilian casualties were recorded this month, none of which were fatal. All civilian casualties occurred in incidents targeting armed state actors, specifically the military or police, in populated areas, with the use of grenades or IEDs. On 5 September, two civilians were injured, and four members of the military killed and 18 injured by a suicide bombing by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) at a security checkpoint in Quetta, Balochistan. 

September saw a significant decrease in the number of civilian casualties resulting from the use of explosive weapons in Pakistan from August 2021, in which 107 civilians were killed or injured by explosive weapon use. 

Sources: Al Jazeera, Dawn

In August 2021, across 13 incidents, Pakistan suffered a total of 137 casualties from explosive weapon use, of which 78% (107) were civilians. This amounts to over five-times the number of civilian casualties recorded in July 2021. 20 civilians were killed, 87 were injured, and 9 of the casualties were reportedly children. Civilians accounted for 78% of the total casualties (137) in August. All 107 civilian casualties took place in populated areas. 70% (75) of civilians were casualties of directly emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs, while 30% (32) were casualties of ground launched weapons, specifically grenades.

There were two incidents of explosive weapon use that collectively accounted for 71% of the civilian casualties in August. The deadliest incident took place on 14 August in Karachi, Sindh province, when 13 people were killed and 10 injured in a grenade attack on a truck in Baldia town. All casualties were members of an extended family. Seven women and four children were killed. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The most injurious incident of explosive weapon use in Pakistan in August took place on 19 August, when three civilians were killed and at least 50 injured in a roadside bomb attack on a Shi’ite Ashura procession in Bahawalnagar, Punjab. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

The significant increase in civilian casualties from July to August can be attributed to these two incidents. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain the provinces with the highest number of incidents of explosive weapon use from July to August. This month, the provinces accounted for six and four incidents respectively, of the total 13 incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan. The proportion of civilian casualties relative to total casualties has increased from 41% in July to 78% in August.

Sources: Dawn, ANI, The Express Tribune, Albawaba

In July 2021 in Pakistan there were 12 incidents of explosive weapon use resulting in 21 civilian casualties, down from 31 in June. 14 of the civilian casualties were killed, seven injured, and three of the casualties were reportedly children. There were 30 armed-actor casualties from explosive weapon use. Ten of the 21 civilian deaths and injuries occurred in populated areas, while 11 took place in non-populated areas. All but one (20) civilian casualties were caused by the use of directly emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs. The one other civilian casualty was caused by ground launched weapons. The worst incident for civilian casualties of explosive weapon use took place on 14 July, when an explosion on a bus carrying Chinese and Pakistani workers to a hydroelectric dam construction site in northern Pakistan killed 13 people. 11 of the fatalities were civilians, including 9 Chinese nationals, and two were Pakistani security forces. The cause of the blast was initially unclear and attributed to a mechanical failure, but ongoing investigations revealed traces of explosives and the Pakistani Foreign Minister has said the attack was a suicide bombing by Islamist backed militants. Sources: Reuters, Reuters, Reuters, NYT.

In June 2021, in Pakistan there were nine incidents of explosive weapon use resulting in 31 civilian casualties, down from 36 in May. Four of the civilian casualties were killed, 27 injured, and nine of the casualties were reportedly children. Five of the nine recorded incidents took place in populated areas. Six incidents involved the use of directly emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs, and the three other incidents all involved the detonation of grenades in populated areas. The worst attack took place on 23 June in Lahore, when a car bomb was detonated in a residential area, killing four civilians, including a child, and wounding 24 others. Children and police officers were among the critically wounded. The blast happened near a police checkpoint next to the house of Hafiz Saeed, the jailed founder of Islamist militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Sources: Reuters, Hindustan Times.

In May 2021 in Pakistan, there were ten incidents of explosive weapon use resulting in 36 civilian casualties, down from 42 in April. Eight of the 36 civilian casualties were killed, and eight of those injured were children. Most incidents occurred in populated areas and involved directly emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs and landmines. The worst attack took place on 21 May, when an IED was detonated at a pro-Palestine rally in Chaman, Balochistan, killing seven and injuring 14 others. Sources: Tribune, Reuters