ISLAMABAD: The militants in Pakistan suffered their heaviest losses in ten years during October as security forces ramped up counterterrorism operations nationwide, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The Islamabad-based think tank said 355 militants were killed during the month, indicating the highest single-month death toll since 2014.
The report also recorded the deaths of 72 security personnel and 31 civilians, including a peace committee member in Bannu.
In this regard, despite a 29 percent rise in militant attacks from 69 in September to 89 in October, overall casualties from these incidents declined by 19 percent.
The data also showed that 55 people were abducted by militants, the highest monthly number of kidnappings in a decade.
Furthermore, Balochistan witnessed a notable improvement in its security situation. Although militant attacks increased slightly to 23 from 21 in September, fatalities fell sharply.
In addition, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), militants carried out 22 attacks the same number as in September but with higher casualties.
Additionally, thirty-one people, including 18 security personnel and 13 civilians, were killed, while 45 others were wounded.
However, the security forces killed 209 militants in the region, the highest monthly figure since November 2014, among those killed was Qari Amjad, a former deputy emir and shadow defence minister of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), indicating one of the group’s most significant losses since its formation in 2007.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 37 militant attacks in October, up from 25 a month earlier, resulting in 48 deaths.
Meanwhile, in Sindh, three militant attacks killed three civilians, and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) targeted the Jaffar Express in Shikarpur, injuring seven passengers. Meanwhile, sporadic incidents were reported in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, where security forces arrested several militants, including Al-Qaeda and Zainabiyoun Brigade operatives.
As per the facts and figures issued by PICSS, a total of 2,853 people have been killed in militancy-related violence in the first ten months of 2025, including 1,734 militants.
