Combat-related | Pakistan

• PICSS says first two months of 2026 see almost half of all 2025 suicide attacks • Balochistan records ‘visible decline’ in attacks ISLAMABAD: Combat-related fatalities in Pakistan surged by 30 per cent in February 2026, driven by a sharp increase in suicide attacks across the country, according to monthly statistics released by an Islamabad-based think tank. The report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) documented 470 deaths and 333 injuries during the month. The dead included 96 civilians, 80 security forces personnel and 294 militants. The number of injured comprised 259 civilians, 50 security forces personnel and 24 militants. The figures represent a 74pc surge in the deaths of security forces personnel, a 32pc rise in civilian deaths and a 21pc increase in militant deaths compared to the previous month. Violence escalated significantly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its merged districts (erstwhile Fata). The region saw 53 security forces personnel and six civilians killed...