Yesterday, on 24th July 2017, a suicide attack killed at least 26 and injured over 50 more in Pakistan’s second city, Lahore.
The suicide attack, claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, used a suicide bomber on a motorbike to target police assisting in clearing a main road of illegal construction and street vendors. At least nine police personnel were killed in the attack.
The blast occurred on one of Lahore’s main roads, Ferozepur Road, near to a busy market and government sponsored technology park.
This attack comes on the same day that killed at least 30 in Kabul, Afghanistan by the closely affiliated Taliban.
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) has been monitoring explosive violence harm across the globe since 2011. Between 2011-2016, Pakistan has seen 23,531 deaths and injuries from explosive violence. Last year, Pakistan saw over 2,000 deaths and injuries from explosive violence. 76% of civilian casualties were caused by IEDs.
From 2015 to 2016, the amount of civilians killed and injured by suicide attacks increased by 93% despite a decrease in attacks from 13 to 10.
AOAV condemns the attacks in Pakistan, and calls for states and international organisations to work collaboratively to generate greater awareness of the number of civilians killed and injured each year by IEDs, and encourage a greater stigma from political, religious and social leaders on the use of IEDs. There is an urgent need for preventative measures to be implemented by States and the international community.
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