Pakistan's Deadliest Year in a Decade: 3,400 Combat Deaths in 2025, Militants Dominate Fatalities

• Pakistan recorded 3,413 combat deaths in 2025, a 74% increase from 2024, marking its deadliest year in over a decade, according to PICSS.
• Militants accounted for over half of the fatalities, with a 124% rise in militant deaths attributed to intensified counterterrorism operations against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
• The death toll included 667 security personnel (highest since 2011) and 580 civilians (highest since 2015), partly due to increased suicide bombings and TTP's use of US military equipment.
• Tensions with Afghanistan escalated due to border clashes and Pakistan's accusations of Kabul overlooking cross-border attacks by Pakistani militants.
• Pakistan's military conducted 67,023 intelligence-based operations in 2025, killing 1,873 militants, while border crossings with Afghanistan remain closed.

Why It Matters: Pakistan faced its deadliest year in over a decade in 2025, with combat deaths surging due to militant activity.