Pakistan’s security forces have experienced their highest casualties in eight years, with at least 386 personnel losing their lives in the first nine months of 2023, according to a report released by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
The report, covering the third quarter of 2023, also reveals a troubling 57% surge in violence nationwide.
In the CRSS Security Report for Q3 2023, it is highlighted that among the 1,087 violence-related fatalities recorded this year, security forces accounted for 36% of the casualties, marking an eight-year high. This figure includes 137 army personnel and 208 police personnel.
The rise in violence is particularly concentrated in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan. Over the past five years, these regions have witnessed a consistent and alarming increase in violence, with 92% of all fatalities occurring in these two provinces in the first nine months of 2023, compared to 72% in 2019.
In the third quarter of 2023 alone, 445 lives were lost, and 440 people were injured in 190 terror attacks and counter-terror operations. K-P and Balochistan bore the brunt of this violence, accounting for nearly 94% of all fatalities and 89% of recorded attacks during this period.
