Top 10 Terrorism-Affected Countries in 2024.

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Groups, Salaries, Impact, and Consequences for Indian Involvement

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025, released on March 5, 2025, ranks the top 10 countries most impacted by terrorism in 2024. This blog explores these nations, detailing terrorist organizations, their leaders, founding years, deaths, operations, funding, objectives, child casualties, weapon sources, salaries paid to members, and the specific consequences—societal wrongs and legal punishments—for Indian individuals contacting or joining these groups. All data is current as of March 27, 2025.

• Deaths in 2024: 1,532 (down 21% from 1,939 in 2023)
• Terrorist Agency: Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM)
  • Current Chief: Iyad Ag Ghaly (since 2017)
  • Start Year: 2017
  • First Chief: Iyad Ag Ghaly
• Operations: Ambushes, bombings (e.g., Centre-Nord, 200-600 deaths).
• Funding: Gold mining, kidnapping, extortion.
• Objectives: Islamic caliphate, expel foreign influence.
• Child Deaths: ~300-400 (25% of civilian deaths, per UNICEF).
• Weapon Providers: Looted Malian/Nigerien stocks, Libyan arms, regional trafficking.
• Salaries Paid to Members: $50-$200 monthly, plus loot.
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: Risks radicalizing Indian Muslims, destabilizing Sahel diaspora ties, aiding jihad.
  • Punishment: Under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, support carries 5 years to life imprisonment; membership means life imprisonment.

• Deaths in 2024: 1,081 (up 45% from 745 in 2023)
• Terrorist Agencies:
  • Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
    • Current Chief: Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud (since 2018)
    • Start Year: 2007
    • First Chief: Baitullah Mehsud
  • Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)
    • Current Chief: Bashir Zeb (since ~2018)
    • Start Year: ~2006
    • First Chief: Balach Marri
• Operations: TTP: suicide bombings; BLA: attacks on security/Chinese targets.
• Funding: TTP: narcotics, extortion; BLA: smuggling, diaspora funds.
• Objectives: TTP: Sharia state; BLA: Baloch independence.
• Child Deaths: 100-150 (10-15%).
• Weapon Providers: Afghan Taliban, diverted U.S. arms, illicit markets.
• Salaries Paid to Members: TTP: $100-$300; BLA: $50-$150, often attack-based.
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: Fuels India-Pakistan tensions, risks radicalizing border communities, threatens security.
  • Punishment: BNS penalties: 5 years to life for abetting; life for membership; 3 years to life for harboring.

• Deaths in 2024: 600-700 (up from 2023)
• Terrorist Agencies:
  • Islamic State (IS)
    • Current Chief: Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (since 2023)
    • Start Year: 1999
    • First Chief: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
  • Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
    • Current Chief: Abu Mohammad al-Julani (since 2017)
    • Start Year: 2017
    • First Chief: Abu Mohammad al-Julani
• Operations: IS: bombings, drones; HTS: rebel control in Idlib.
• Funding: IS: oil smuggling, extortion; HTS: Idlib taxes.
• Objectives: IS: caliphate revival; HTS: rebel zone control.
• Child Deaths: 60-140 (10-20%).
• Weapon Providers: Captured Syrian stocks, Turkish/Iraqi smuggling, Iran-backed supplies.
• Salaries Paid to Members: IS: $50-$400; HTS: $100-$300 (commanders earn more).
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: Indian IS recruits amplify jihad threats, strain Middle East relations.
  • Punishment: Life for membership; 5 years to life for facilitating attacks, per BNS.

• Deaths in 2024: 604 (down 21% from 765 in 2023)
• Terrorist Agency: JNIM (see Burkina Faso)
• Operations: Military outpost attacks, e.g., Gao clashes.
• Funding: Gold, livestock theft, kidnapping.
• Objectives: Islamic rule, anti-foreign resistance.
• Child Deaths: 100-150.
• Weapon Providers: Looted Malian bases, Libyan arms, Russian diversions.
• Salaries Paid to Members: $50-$200 monthly, plus loot.
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: Risks radicalizing Indian Muslims, undermining peacekeeping roles.
  • Punishment: Life for membership; 5 years to life for support, per BNS.

• Deaths in 2024: 930 (up 94% from 479 in 2023)
• Terrorist Agency: IS-Sahel
  • Current Chief: Unclear (post-Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, killed 2021)
  • Start Year: 2015
  • First Chief: Abu Walid al-Sahrawi
• Operations: Ambushes, e.g., Tillabéri (200 soldiers killed).
• Funding: Uranium trade, smuggling.
• Objectives: Overthrow government, expand jihad.
• Child Deaths: 100-200.
• Weapon Providers: Looted Nigerien bases, Libyan arms, Russian supplies.
• Salaries Paid to Members: $50-$300 monthly.
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: Threatens diaspora safety, boosts IS recruitment narratives.
  • Punishment: Life for membership; 5 years to life for aiding, per BNS.

• Deaths in 2024: 565 (up 6% from 533 in 2023)
• Terrorist Agencies:
  • Boko Haram
    • Current Chief: Factional leaders (post-Shekau, killed 2021)
    • Start Year: 2002
    • First Chief: Mohammed Yusuf
  • ISWAP
    • Current Chief: Unclear (post-Abu Musab al-Barnawi, killed 2021)
    • Start Year: 2016
    • First Chief: Abu Musab al-Barnawi
• Operations: Village raids, bombings, factional clashes.
• Funding: Kidnapping, cattle rustling, extortion.
• Objectives: Islamic law, state destabilization.
• Child Deaths: 100-170 (20-30%).
• Weapon Providers: Looted Nigerian stocks, West African markets, Libyan arms.
• Salaries Paid to Members: Boko Haram: $50-$150; ISWAP: $100-$400.
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: Online radicalization risks Indian recruits, endangers African ties.
  • Punishment: Life for membership; 5 years to life for support, per BNS.

• Deaths in 2024: 500-600
• Terrorist Agency: Al-Shabaab
  • Current Chief: Ahmed Diriye (Abu Ubaidah, since 2014)
  • Start Year: 2006
  • First Chief: Aden Hashi Ayro
• Operations: Bombings (e.g., Mogadishu, 37 deaths), rural ambushes.
• Funding: Extortion, charcoal trade, piracy residuals.
• Objectives: Sharia state, government overthrow.
• Child Deaths: 50-120 (10-20%), plus child soldiers.
• Weapon Providers: Yemeni smuggling, Somali military loot, Ethiopian/Kenyan diversions.
• Salaries Paid to Members: $50-$200; commanders up to $1,000.
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: Threatens Indian Ocean trade, risks radicalizing coastal Muslims.
  • Punishment: Life for membership; 5 years to life for aiding, per BNS.

• Deaths in 2024: 24 (down 98% from 1,210 in 2023)
• Terrorist Agency: Hamas
  • Current Chief: Successor TBD (Yahya Sinwar killed October 2024)
  • Start Year: 1987
  • First Chief: Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
• Operations: 2023 rocket/incursion assault; reduced 2024 activity.
• Funding: Iran, local taxes, diaspora funds.
• Objectives: Destroy Israel, establish Palestinian state.
• Child Deaths: 120-180 in 2023 (10-15%); minimal in 2024.
• Weapon Providers: Iran-supplied rockets, captured Israeli arms.
• Salaries Paid to Members: $100-$300; seniors up to $3,000.
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: Fuels anti-Israel sentiment, strains Middle East diplomacy.
  • Punishment: Life for membership; 5 years to life for support, per BNS.

• Deaths in 2024: 100-150 (down from 119 in 2023)
• Terrorist Agency: Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K)
  • Current Chief: Sanaullah Ghafari (since 2020, possibly killed 2023)
  • Start Year: 2015
  • First Chief: Hafiz Saeed Khan
• Operations: Civilian/Taliban attacks, e.g., 2021 Kabul bombing.
• Funding: Drug trade, hawala networks.
• Objectives: Regional caliphate, anti-Taliban fight.
• Child Deaths: 15-40 (15-25%).
• Weapon Providers: U.S. arms (2021), Taliban stocks, Central Asian smuggling.
• Salaries Paid to Members: $100-$500, varying by role.
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: IS-K recruitment threatens Afghan interests, domestic stability.
  • Punishment: Life for membership; 5 years to life for aiding, per BNS.

• Deaths in 2024: 200-000
• Terrorist Agencies: Boko Haram; ISWAP (see Nigeria)
• Operations: Kidnappings, village raids in Far North.
• Funding: Kidnapping, smuggling.
• Objectives: Jihadist control in Lake Chad.
• Child Deaths: 40-90 (20-30%), with recruitment.
• Weapon Providers: Nigerian military loot, West African markets, Libyan arms.
• Salaries Paid to Members: Boko Haram: $50-$150; ISWAP: $100-$400.
• Indian Involvement:
  • Wrong: Risks radicalizing diaspora, aiding Boko Haram’s reach.
  • Punishment: Life for membership; 5 years to life for support, per BNS.

• Societal Wrongs:
  • Security Threat: Strengthens global terrorist networks, endangering India (e.g., 153 attacks in Jammu & Kashmir, 2021).
  • Radicalization: Spreads extremism, targeting youth (e.g., IS cases in Kerala).
  • Diplomatic Strain: Undermines counterterrorism ties with nations like the U.S. and Israel.
  • Social Division: Fuels communal tensions, risking riots.
• Legal Punishments under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023:
  • Support/Facilitation: 5 years to life imprisonment with fines.
  • Membership: Life imprisonment.
  • Harboring Terrorists: 3 years to life imprisonment.
  • Possessing Terrorist Property: Life imprisonment.
  • Context: The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 1967, amended 2019, also designates individuals as terrorists, with 53 listed by 2025.

• Global Deaths: 6,397 in 2024 (down from 8,352 in 2023), 87% in these 10 countries.
• Child Toll: 600-1,500 children killed (10-30%).
• Salary Range: $50-$3,000 monthly, often loot-supplemented.
• Indian Context: India isn’t in the top 10, but its laws reflect a strict stance against terrorism involvement.