Terrorism rose in India in 2020; 37% in J&K: Report
India experienced more terror attacks in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020, compared to 2019, the US state department said in a report. Reportedly, India witnessed 679 terror attacks last year, up from 655 the previous year. Jammu and Kashmir recorded 257 or 37% of these attacks. India also recorded 567 citizen fatalities or 2% of all terror-related deaths worldwide.
- India's borders, particularly the northern front, remain vulnerable to terror attacks.
- Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) reports the most terror activities.
- However, the central government claimed earlier this year that terror attacks had decreased in J&K after the repeal of Article 370 in 2019.
- J&K witnessed only 244 terror attacks in 2020 in comparison to 594 in 2019, according to the Union Home Ministry.
The CPI-Maoist was responsible for 44% of all terror operations in India, the report said. The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen were involved in 6% of all attacks. A total of 29% of terror attacks in India were not linked to any particular group. "Indian security agencies are effective in disrupting terror threats, although gaps remain in interagency intelligence," the report added.
J&K experienced the most terror attacks with 257 incidents (37.8%). It was followed by Chhattisgarh at the second spot with 145 terror attacks (21.4%) and Jharkhand at the third spot with 69 incidents (10.2%).
There were 10,172 terror attacks in 98 countries in 2020, up by 1,300 compared to 2019. Afghanistan reported the most terror acts (1,722), followed by Syria (1,322) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (999). The Taliban (including the Haqqani Network) was responsible for the most terror acts (1,325) and casualties (7,417) in 2020. They were followed by ISIS-Core, al-Shabaab, CPI-Maoists, and ISIS-DR Congo.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the report provides an honest assessment of the issues America faces. "These figures reflect, in part, the spread of ISIS branches and networks and al Qaeda affiliates, particularly in Africa," Blinken said.
