• Civilian fatalities see 70pc drop; security forces’ casualties also fall by 26pc
• Increased militant attacks, decreased lethality with single suicide bombing
ISLAMABAD: A significant reduction of 35 per cent in combat-related fatalities was recorded across Pakistan during the month of March, coinciding with Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, according to monthly statistics released by a think tank.
Data released by Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) showed that a total of 331 people were killed in March compared to 506 in February, marking a 35pc decline in overall combat-related deaths.
PICSS also observed a decline in high-profile militant attacks, even as the overall number of attacks increased during the month.
It noted that the reduction in human losses coincided with Pakistan’s cross-border military strikes under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, which began in the last week of February and targeted terrorist positions in Afghanistan.
“The timing suggests these operations may have contributed to disrupting militant capacity and reducing the lethality of attacks,” the report noted. It added that in response to these strikes, groups including (TTP),..
Source: dawn.com/news
