Afghanistan Overtook Iraq as Deadliest Country for Terrorism Last Year; Deaths Down Globally by J.P. Lawrence - Stars & Stripes
Afghanistan became the world’s deadliest terrorism hot spot in 2017, due to the escalation of the war and fewer incidents elsewhere, a new report said.
One in every four people who died from an act of terrorism last year lived in Afghanistan, according to Australia’s Institute for Economics and Peace think tank.
Last year the country suffered more than 1,000 attacks, leaving 4,653 dead and 5,015 injured, the report released Wednesday said.
Meanwhile, casualties from terrorism throughout the world declined for the third consecutive year, due largely to the diminishment of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Both countries saw sharp declines in the number of terrorism deaths last year. Europe also recorded a significant drop in 2017. Deaths worldwide are down by almost half since 2014, it said.
Iraq had been the deadliest country for terrorism since 2012, when the top spot belonged to Afghanistan…