2025 Emerges as Deadliest Year for Pakistan Army, TTP Attacks and US Weapons Fuel Record Casualties

The year 2025 has proven to be one of the deadliest in Pakistan’s history, particularly for its armed forces, as the country grappled with a sharp surge in militant violence, cross-border tensions, and the growing use of advanced American-made weapons by insurgent groups.

According to data released by the Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), conflict-related deaths in Pakistan rose by 74 percent in 2025, reaching 3,413 fatalities, the highest annual toll recorded in the past decade. The figure marks a dramatic increase from 1,950 deaths in 2024.

Militants Armed With US Weapons

PICSS reports indicate that militant groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) have increasingly used US-manufactured weapons left behind during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. These arms, allegedly transferred through smuggling networks involving Afghan Taliban elements, have significantly enhanced the firepower of anti-Pakistan insurgents.

“The weapons abandoned after the US exit from Afghanistan have gradually reached armed groups operating against Pakistan,” said Abdullah Khan, Managing Director of PICSS. “These arms have become a major force multiplier for militants, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where security forces appear increasingly stretched.”

Rising Suicide Bombings and Security Force Losses

The report highlights a sharp rise in suicide attacks during 2025. A total of 26 suicide bombings were recorded—53 percent more than in 2024. Most attacks targeted security personnel, military convoys, and Chinese-linked projects, especially in the restive province of Balochistan.

The toll on Pakistan’s security forces has been particularly severe. At least 667 security personnel were killed in 2025, a 26 percent increase over the previous year and the highest annual figure since 2011. Civilian casualties also surged, with 580 deaths, the highest since 2015.

Internal and External Pressures

Pakistan’s security challenges in 2025 were compounded by border tensions with Afghanistan, sporadic confrontations along the Line of Control with India, and persistent internal insurgencies. Analysts note that the country is now facing militant groups it once supported or tolerated in the past, creating what many describe as a dangerous “blowback” scenario.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in his New Year address, acknowledged the scale of the security crisis, calling 2025 a “difficult and testing year” for the nation.

A Grim Irony

Security experts point out the irony that many of the groups now inflicting heavy losses on Pakistan were, at various points in history, financially or militarily supported by elements within the Pakistani establishment for strategic purposes.

As Pakistan enters 2026, analysts warn that without a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy, improved border control, and regional cooperation, the country may continue to face escalating violence—armed with weapons originally meant to stabilize the region but now fueling one of its darkest chapters.