Islamabad:Combat-related fatalities surged by 30 percent in February 2026 amid a sudden increase in suicide attacks, according to monthly statistics released by think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The PICSS statistics indicate that there were 470 deaths and 333 injuries during the month in Pakistan. These 470 deaths included 80 security forces personnel, 294 militants, and 96 civilians, while the injuries comprised 50 security forces personnel, 24 militants, and 259 civilians.
This represented a 74 percent surge in the deaths of security forces personnel, a 21 percent increase in militant deaths, and a 32 percent rise in civilian deaths. According to PICSS, a visible decline was observed in militant attacks in Balochistan following the launch of the security forces' retaliatory operation Raddul Fitna-1 at the start of the month. In Balochistan, 176 militants were killed during these security forces operations.
The violence saw a significant surge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its newly merged districts (erstwhile FATA), where 53 security forces personnel lost their lives and 6 civilians were also killed.
Additionally, 35 security forces personnel and 48 civilians were injured during the month. The province also witnessed three suicide bombings, in which 17 people -- including 14 security forces personnel -- were killed and 20 civilians were injured.
The surge in militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa led to Pakistan's cross-border air strikes and subsequent Pakistan-Afghan military clashes. The month also saw one suicide bombing in the suburbs of Islamabad Capital Territory, in which at least 34 people were killed and 165 injured, while another suicide bombing occurred in Bhakkar district of Punjab, killing two police personnel and injuring four others. Overall, there were five suicide bombings in the country -- two more than in January 2026.
The eight suicide attacks in the first two months of the year represent almost half of such incidents in all of 2025, when a total of 17 suicide attacks (including vehicle-borne ones) occurred, highlighting a dangerous trend of rising suicide bombings.
A would-be suicide bomber was also arrested by security forces during the month. Overall, the first two months of the year witnessed 831 combat-related deaths, including 169 civilians, 126 security forces personnel, and 536 militants, as per PICSS data.
