Table of Contents
Security Incidents
Terror Attacks, 2007
Suicide Attacks
Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Attacks
High Casualty Terrorist Bombings
Insurgent Targets, 2002-2006
For more information, see also the Monitor's posts on armed conflict.
Article: Afghanistan attacks up 40% in east, Pentagon says, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2008
Article: Insurgent attacks still up in Afghanistan's east, Informed Comment Global Affairs, 28 May 2008
Article: Security incidents by week, 2008, Informed Comment Global Affairs, 10 April 2008
Article: Afghanistan: Graphing the violence, The Long War Journal, 5 April 2008
Article: 2007 Security statistics released, Vigilant Security Services Afghanistan (c/o Informed Comment Global Affairs), 9 January 2008
- Graph: Security incidents by week, 2007
- Graph: Security incidents by type, 2007
- Graph: Security incidents by region, 2007
- Graph: Security incidents by province, 2007
Acronyms (c/o Long War Journal): anti-government forces = AGE, IED = improvised explosive devices, VBIED = vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, SVBIED = suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, BBIED = body-borne improvised explosive device, CPX = complex attack, SAF = small-arms fire, RPG = rocket propelled grenade.
Terror Attacks, 2007
'2007 Report on Terrorism', National Counterterrorism Center
Afghanistan:
"Afghanistan registered a 16 percent increase in the number of attacks in 2007 as compared with the previous year. Despite the increase, activity patterns remain consistent with the previous year where the majority of attacks reported were against police and in complete disregard to collateral casualties; 43 percent of the attacks were targeted against police."
Pakistan:
"Terror attacks in 2007 increased by 137 percent in Pakistan over 2006 attacks. Although the government signed a peace agreement in September 2006 with pro-Taliban tribes in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the region accounted for 54 percent of the total attacks, up from 23 percent the previous year.
2001-2005: 5; 2006: 123; 2007 to June: 77; '80 percent of casualties are civilians'
Report: Suicide Attacks in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Attacks:
"According to ISAF, in 2008, direct fire incidents increased 40 percent and indirect fire incidents increased 27 percent. IED incidents, including discovered IEDs and suicide bombings, increased 26 percent." 'Report on Progress toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan', January 2009 (report; graph)
- 2006: 1,931
- 2007: 2,615
- 2008: ~3,295
"IED attacks in Afghanistan are increasing in frequency and lethality, however, at this time the number of attacks is still substantially lower than attacks in Iraq at their peak." 'The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization: DOD's Fight against IEDs Today and Tomorrow', November 2008 (report; graph)
"While the number of IED attacks increased in 2007 over 2006, so did the number of IEDs that were discovered and pre-detonated, as well as those that were reported by local nationals." 'Progress in Afghanistan - Bucharest Summit 2-4 April 2008', April 2008 (report; graph)
'2007 Security Statistics Released', 9 January 2008 (article; graph)
- Total number of IEDs, 2007: ~1314
- Successful IED attacks, 2007: ~711
Washington Post, 30 September 2007
- 2002: 22
- 2003: 83
- 2006: 1,730
- First half of 2007: 1,000
High Casualty Terrorist Bombings (>15 deaths)
(September 11, 1995 – September 10, 2007)
Center for Systemic Peace, High Casualty Terrorist Bombings (HCTB), 11 September 1995-10 September 2007, case list of bomb attacks on non-combatant (civilian and political) targets by non-state actors resulting in 15 or more deaths (Incident List)
| Date | Location | Deaths |
| 9 August 2002 | Jalalabad | 25 |
| 5 September 2002 | Kabul | 30 |
| 31 January 2003 |
Rambasa | 18 |
| 1 June 2005 | Kandahar | 21 |
| 16 January 2006 |
Spin Boldak |
24 |
| 3 August 2006 | Panjwayi | 2 |
| 28 August 2006 |
Lashkar Gah |
17 |
| 8 September 2006 | Kabul | 16 |
| 22 September 2006 | Kandahar | 19 |
| 26 September 2006 |
Lashkar Gah |
18 |
| 26 November 2006 |
Urgun | 15 |
| 27 February 2007 |
Bagram | 23 |
| 20 May 2007 |
Gardez | 15 |
| 17 June 2007 |
Kabul | 35 |
| 10 July 2007 |
Kandahar | 18 |
| 18 August 2007 |
Kandahar | 16 |
Insurgent Targets, 2002-2006
"[P]rimary targets included Afghan government officials, Afghan citizens,
NGOs, educational institutions, and religious figures. Schools were
increasingly targeted in such provinces as Helmand. As one Taliban
night letter warned: 'Teachers’ salaries are financed by non-believers.
Unless you stop getting wages from them, you will be counted among
the American puppets.' This rationale also included targeting
election candi-dates and members of parliament, since 'the elections are a part
of the American program” and those who participate in the
elections 'are the enemies of Islam and the homeland.'” 'Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan', RAND Corporation, 9 June 2008
