Islamabad, December 28, 2025: Pakistan’s counterterrorism battlefield saw a marked escalation in 2025, with violence intensifying in both tempo and lethality and pushing several indicators to their highest levels in years. PICSS data show the year not only delivered a steep rise in overall combat-related deaths, but also became the deadliest year for militants since 2015, the most lethal for security forces since 2011, and the worst for civilian casualties since 2015 while militant attacks climbed to their highest annual total since 2014 and the use of suicide bombings and small drones showed a clear upward trend.
According to statistics released by the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73% to 3,387, compared with 1,950 in 2024. The fatalities included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees (combatants). Militants accounted for about 62% of total combat-related deaths, and their 2,115 fatalities represented the highest annual militant death toll since 2015, when 2,322 militants were killed. Compared with 2024, militant deaths increased by 122%, as 951 militants were killed in 2024.
The year also proved particularly deadly for Pakistani security forces. PICSS recorded 664 security personnel deaths in 2025, a 26% rise from 528 in 2024, and the highest annual figure since 2011, when 677 security forces personnel lost their lives. Civilian deaths increased 24% to 580 in 2025, compared with 468 in 2024, marking the highest annual civilian toll since 2015, when 642 civilians were killed.
Injuries also rose sharply. PICSS recorded 2,263 injured in 2025, including 1,025 security forces personnel, 982 civilians, 228 militants and 28 members of pro-government peace committees. This represented a 53% increase over 2024 and was the highest annual number of injured since 2014, when 3,829 people were injured. Compared with 2024, injuries among security forces increased by 62% (1,025 compared with 631), civilian injuries rose by 40% (982 compared with 701), and militant injuries increased by 61% (228 compared with 142).
PICSS also reported an 83% rise in arrests of suspected militants, with 497 suspects arrested in 2025 compared with 272 in 2024. The institute said the 2025 figure was the highest annual total since 2017, when 1,781 militants were either arrested or laid down their weapons. Kidnappings rose even more sharply, with militants abducting 215 people in 2025 compared with 82 in 2024 an increase of 162%. PICSS said the 2025 kidnapping figure was the highest in a single year since 2012 based on its militancy database.
On the operational front, PICSS recorded at least 1,063 militant attacks in 2025, a 17% increase compared with 908 in 2024 and the highest annual total since 2014, when 1,609 militant attacks were recorded. Suicide attacks also increased by 53%, with 26 such incidents reported in 2025 compared with 17 in 2024. PICSS noted an expanding trend in the use of small drones, including quadcopters, with 33 such incidents recorded during 2025, alongside increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles by security forces.
PICSS noted that most violence remained concentrated in Pashtun-majority districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the tribal districts (erstwhile FATA), and in Balochistan.
