Urbanization of terror

2026-03-06 - 22:43

ACCORDING to analysts and experts on urban insurgency, what was once predominantly rural militancy in KP and Balochistan has increasingly encroached into urban centres and high-population areas. Although urban militancy is not new in Pakistan’s case, clear trends toward expanding urban insurgency have only recently emerged. The deadly suicide bombing at an Imambargah in Islamabad on February 9, 2026 is a prime example. More than 35 worshippers were martyred. Just two months earlier, on November 11, a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the District Courts Islamabad, causing multiple casualties. Since 2021, Pakistan has witnessed a sharp increase in militant violence, influenced by the return of the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul. Reports suggest militant attacks rose by approximately 34% in 2025, with nearly 700 attacks resulting in over 1,000 fatalities. These incidents highlight insurgent footprints expanding beyond traditional rural battlefields into major urban centres. In April 2024, attacks in Lahore killed two police officers and injured several others, later claimed by the TTP. In April 2023, security forces dismantled an ISKP network operating in Islamabad through lone-wolf operatives who reportedly had limited knowledge of their handlers. Since 2024–25, increasing attacks have also been reported in Dera Ghazi Khan, bordering KP, while militancy in Dera Ismail Khan has reached its highest level in recent years, including incidents in urban areas. The expansion of the TTP’s alliances from the erstwhile FATA to urban KP, Sindh and Balochistan illustrates its intent to urbanize the conflict. This aim was explicitly stated in its Urdu magazine Majalla, declaring that its fight was not limited to implementing Sharia in KP but extended across the country. Frequent reports from the Taunsa belt between KP and Punjab indicate efforts to entrench footholds in densely populated regions. This shift reflects a broader pattern of more complex and coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings and assaults on infrastructure. In Balochistan, violence has moved from remote tribal areas into urban and semi-urban environments such as Quetta, Gwadar, Nushki, Mustang and Kalat. Militants have targeted police stations, security installations, markets, banks and administrative offices. In February 2026, insurgents launched one of the largest coordinated offensives across multiple urban centres in the province. The BLA declared that its operations had “expanded from the mountains into urban areas.” These assaults, involving gunfire, suicide attacks and incursions into city perimeters, disrupted daily life and prompted emergency responses from security forces. Urban-based operations demonstrate the operational reach of groups like the BLA, showing their ability to penetrate dense population centres and gain publicity. A notable development has been the reported involvement of female suicide bombers in recent operations. These evolving tactics combine classic insurgency methods with urban targeting strategies, posing greater challenges to security forces and increasing risks to civilian and economic infrastructure. Law enforcement agencies must swiftly adapt to this new phase of urban terror perpetuated by insurgent groups. —The writer, based in Islamabad, is a former Health Minister of KP. ( marwat.akbarjan@gmail.com)