Pak tops list of countries in number of suicide bombing deaths

Lahore, Sept 15 : Pakistan tops the list of countries as far as the number of deaths in suicide bombings during the first eight months of the year is concerned, figures compiled by an elite intelligence agency have said.

From January till August, there were in all 28 suicide attacks in Pakistan which claimed more than 471 people and injured around 713. Both the dead and the injured included a large number of innocent civilians as well as the armed forces personnel.

Iraq stood second with 463 people killed in 42 suicide attacks, while Afghanistan was third with 436 people killed in 36 suicide attacks. In Iraq, a total of 527 persons were injured, while in Afghanistan a totalof 394 people were injured, reported The News.

Iraq ranked first during 2007, experiencing over 150 attacks carried out by human bombs; Afghanistan stood second with more than 100 such attacks and Pakistan ranked third with 56 suicide hits. However, Pakistan had suffered more deaths than that of Afghanistan as a consequence of these suicide attacks.

Of the 471 people killed in suicide bombings across Pakistan in the first eight months of 2008, the number of the civilian casualties was 312. The number of the policemen killed in these attacks stood at 87, followed by 72 personnel of the security forces which have often been targeted in the aftermath of the bloody Operation Silence carried out against the fanatic clerics of the Lal Masjid (July 3-10, 2007).

The Pakistani security forces, especially the armed forces personnel, seem to be the main target of the human bombs ever since the Pakistan Army carried out the bloody Lal Masjid operation which allegedly killed hundreds, including innocent civilians.

ANI