introduction
On March 3, 2013, at the end of the weekend, in the late afternoon as people were enjoying Pakistan’s spring air, a suicide bomber detonated himself outside a crowded mosque, killing countless people.
The attack was carried out by fanatics of the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Jhangvi on a Shiite place of worship in Karachi, killing 48 civilians and injuring another 149. A car bomb targeted worshipers attending evening prayers at a mosque in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
Women and children were among the dead and dying.
The temperature was 32 degrees, perfect weather for a spring walk. March attack. Mosque targeted. A balmy night filled with civilians. A weekend ravaged by violence. A suicide bombing suddenly comes out of nowhere. These traits make this March 2013 strike of his not only terrible, but very predictable. Weather, time, location, date, target, and perpetrator are all hallmarks of the 100 most harmful improvised explosive device (IED) attacks around the world.
These are the key findings of this report, in which we seek to chart how IEDs have continued to pose a significant and lethal threat to civilians around the world over the past decade. The lives of the people and their families destroyed by the attack on Karachi were unique, but the attack itself was just one of many that have sprung up around the world over the past decade . In fact, between 2013 and 2022, Action Against Armed Violence (AOAV) recorded approximately 11,099 IED attacks worldwide, according to English media reports. These airstrikes were carried out across approximately 93 countries, killing and injuring 114,478 civilians (33,029 killed and 81,449 injured). Such harms account for approximately half (47%) of the 245,841 civilian casualties from explosive weapons (both manufactured and IED weapons) recorded by AOAV worldwide over a 10-year period.
Illustrating the disproportionate level of harm caused by IEDs, IEDs themselves killed or injured nearly half of all civilians reported to have been harmed by explosives, yet between 2013 and 2022 Only 36% of the 30,433 explosives incidents with civilian casualties were reported. By comparison, air-launched explosive weapons accounted for 25% (62,235) of civilian casualties during this period, and ground-launched weapons accounted for 23% (56,447).
To better understand trends related to the most harmful attacks, AOAV conducted a comprehensive study examining the top 100 IED civilian casualties worldwide between 2013 and 2022. was carried out. The purpose of this research is to assist the international community. To gain insight into the themes, patterns, and motivations underlying these events.
In analyzing these 100 civilian casualty incidents, AOAV analyzed the geographic location of the incident (by country, region, and location type; urban, rural, conflict zone; We took into account several important factors, including peace zones). Uncover the identity of perpetrators and gain insight into the political or ideological motivations behind these incidents. target of attack. timing of attack. Uncover patterns, such as whether attacks occur more frequently at certain times or on certain days. Event details such as type of IED used, method of delivery (vehicle-borne, suicide bomber, etc.), number of casualties, and severity of harm caused. Understand the socio-political context at the time of the attack and the context in which it occurred. And what to do at that time. By considering these aspects, this report aims to identify patterns and trends in these events and gain insight into the motivations behind them.
Overall, the AOAV findings suggest that IED attacks resulting in mass casualties are primarily suicide bombings targeting places of worship in the context of Islamic sectarian violence. Such attacks are most likely to occur between Friday and Sunday, with more civilians affected when temperatures are between 26 and 40 degrees Celsius. See Appendix A for a complete list of 100 incidents.
Based on these conclusions, the March attacks in Karachi are not only deeply worrying in their immediate impact, but also in light of how many people around the world have fallen victim to IEDs since 2013. This is an example of how someone is suffering.