India witnessed the third highest number of terrorist attacks in 2016, more than Pakistan that has slipped to the fourth position, according to the latest data compiled by the US State Department.
Iraq with 2,965 terrorist attacks and Afghanistan with 1,340 terrorist attacks, were ranked first and second position respectively, followed by India that recorded 927 attacks and Pakistan at 734 attacks, the department said in its Country Report on Terrorism.
The department said more than half of the terrorist attacks in India in 2016 took place in four states: Jammu and Kashmir at 19 percent, Chhattisgarh at 18 percent, Manipur at 12 percent, and Jharkhand at 10 per cent.
This geographic pattern is relatively stable compared to 2015, with the exception of Jammu and Kashmir, which experienced an increase of 93 per cent in attacks in 2016, it said.
In its annual report, the department said the number of terrorist attacks has increased by 16 per cent and the total number of deaths has increased by 17 per cent in India in 2016.
Although India ranked third among countries that experienced the most terror attacks in 2016, the lethality of these attacks remained relatively low compared to other countries that also experienced a great deal of terror violence.
According to the report, the deadliest attack in India in 2016 took place in July, when the Communist Party of India – Maoist detonated explosives and opened fire on Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Bihar. Sixteen people were killed in the attack, including six assailants.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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