Aug 17, 2017   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Worldwide Terror Deaths Shrink in 2017, Says New Report from Jane’s by IHS Markit

During January to June 2017, a total of 10,352 non-militant fatalities were caused by non-state armed groups, down 20 percent from 13,025 deaths in the previous six months, according to a new report from IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

“While the number of fatalities dropped significantly in the first half of 2017, it’s worth noting that the total number of attacks only fell by 1 percent to 13,068 from the 13,204 attacks recorded during July to December 2016,” said Matthew Henman, Head of the Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC) at IHS Markit. “This was principally a consequence of a reduction in mass-casualty violence by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. As the group has experienced growing territorial losses it has increasingly transitioned back to lower-level guerrilla operations in these areas.”

Key findings

  • Worldwide attacks by the Islamic State increased by 38 percent to total 2,962 in the first half of 2017, but non-militant fatalities decreased by 17 percent compared to the prior six months.
  • Attacks by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a newly-formed militant Islamist organization structured around former Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fath al-Sham, rose by 18 percent in the first half of 2017, totaling 395. Subsequent fatalities increased by 140 percent in the same period.
  • Fatalities attributed to the Turkish PKK in the first half of 2017 sank by 69 percent while total attacks fell by 27 percent compared to the latter half of 2016.
  • The number of non-militant fatalities in the UK increased more than twenty-fold in January to June 2017 to reach 44, while the number of attacks increased by 37 percent compared to the previous six months. This was almost entirely a consequence of mass casualty attacks in London and Manchester during the period.

Notes about the report

The intelligence cut-off date for this report was 28 July. JTIC defines non-state armed groups as actors, not part of a state, who engage in violent activity for political or ideological objectives. Information from social media that could not be verified through conventional and trusted news sources is not included in the report.

To request more information about this report, contact us here.

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About JTIC

Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC) by IHS Markit uses open source data to build its global database of both attacks by non-state armed groups, in addition to counter-terrorism operations and key statements by state and non-state actors. The database enables users to search by location, target, group (active and dormant), tactics and casualty numbers in order to quickly obtain actionable intelligence and/or data. The database includes over 250,000 events since 2009 and tracks over 1,000 separate non-state armed groups worldwide.

About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com)

IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 key business and government customers, including 85 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth.

IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd and/or its affiliates. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners © 2017 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved.