41 suicide attacks kill 606 in Pakistan in 2011

ISLAMABAD - At least 606 people were killed and over 1,000 others injured in a total of 41 suicide attacks carried out by 51 suicide bombers in Pakistan in 2011, an official report said on Sunday.

According to a report issued by the Pakistan's Conflict Monitoring Center (CMC), among all the killed in such attacks, 358 people or 59 percent were innocent civilians and the number of innocent people injured in these attacks accounted for 85 percent, or 856 people out of the total 1,002.

Army lost 33 of its soldiers while 100 personnel of Frontier Corp (FC), a paramilitary force in Pakistan, and 54 policemen lost their lives in these suicide attacks, said the report.

Fifty-one suicide bombers were used to carry out 41 suicide attacks because in some strikes more than one human bomber was used, said the Islamabad-based center in its report.

Among the injured were 44 army soldiers, 31 FC personnel and 71 policemen. The northwestern Khyber Pakhtunekha Province (KPK) saw the highest number of suicide attacks and subsequent deaths, said the CMC's report.

Giving the area-wise causalities in the suicide attacks, the report added that 406 people were killed in 22 suicide attacks in KPK Province. Tribal regions known as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) was the second most affected region after KPK, where militants carried out 9 suicide attacks, killing 76 people.

It said that 18 people were killed in 5 suicide attacks in southern Sindh province. In southwestern Baluchistan 44 people were killed in 3 suicide attacks while eastern Punjab province observed two such attacks in which 61 people were killed.

The report also analyzed that certain months of the year 2011 were more bloody and highest number of suicide attacks in a single month was observed in March when militants carried out 6 suicide attacks, killing 92 people.

The report said "Deadliest single month of the year was May when 144 people died in 4 suicide attacks. Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden was killed in May and it is believed that several revenge attacks were carried out after his death in a US military raid.

The report however said that in 2011 the number of deaths in suicide attacks declined by 48 percent as compared with the previous year.

Comparing situation of such attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the report calculated that the number of suicide attacks in Afghanistan was 2.5 times higher than Pakistan in 2011. Militants carried out 102 suicide attacks in Afghanistan in which 675 people were killed.

CMC's analysis shows a downward trend in number of suicide attacks during the previous two years. After successful military operations in Swat and South Waziristan, militants' capabilities to carry out high profile attacks against army installations have significantly reduced, it said.