ISLAMABAD, Dec. 1 -- At least 98 people were killed and 288 others injured in 31 bomb blasts across Pakistan in November as the terrorists strike back against security personnel, police and civilians in retaliation to the successful military operation by the Pakistani army against militants in the country's northwestern tribal regions, according to official statistics.

Out of the 31 bomb attacks, one was of suicide nature that killed at least 62 people and injured 150 others in the country's eastern border city of Lahore.

Figures showed that the number of killings in bomb attacks in November 2014 was almost 68 percent more than the causalities occurred in October in 2014.

On a year-on-year basis, the number of killings in bomb explosions in November, 2014 surged by almost 59 percent when compared to the number of killings in the same month last year.

The worst attack of the month came on Nov. 2, when a suicide bomber exploded his jacket amid a crowd of over 200 people who were returning after attending a lowering of the flags ceremony and Rangers parade at the Wagah border crossing point between Pakistan and India. The attack killed at least 62 people and left 150 others injured.

The flag and parade ceremony that has become a tourist favorite is held daily and is attended by hundreds of people, including foreigners, on both Pakistani and Indian sides.

A banned militant group "Jundallah" (Soldiers of God) claimed responsibility for the attack. The group that is based in the country's northwestern tribal regions at Pak-Afghan border is wanted in connection to a wide range of terrorist attacks in the country.

In another incident on Nov. 7, at least seven people were killed and two others injured when a roadside planted bomb attacked a convoy of pro-government peace committee members in the northwestern tribal region of Mohmand Agency.

In the past, the banned outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) used to claim responsibility for most of the attacks but during the period only a couple of claims came from the group. However, its splinter groups, especially "Jundallah," claimed most of the major attacks.

According to the reports, more than 1,200 militants and over 100 soldiers have been killed so far in the military operation that was launched on June 15 against foreign and local terrorists hiding in the country's northwestern tribal region of North Waziristan. The operation was started following the failure of peace talks and a deadly attack at the country's busiest airport in the southern port city of Karachi on June 8 in which at least 40 people, including 10 terrorists, were killed.

The Pakistan army claimed to have cleared more than 90 percent area of North Waziristan and have destroyed over 100 hideouts including bomb making factories and "command and control" centers of the terrorists.

Regarding the number of causalities, Pakistan's eastern Punjab province that usually remained peaceful in the past was the worst hit.

Militants carried out 10 bomb attacks in northwestern tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, which killed 23 people and left 11 others wounded. The northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the third most hit area where seven explosions killed eight persons and injured 15 others.

The southwestern province of Balochistan stood fourth with seven attacks that left three persons killed and 53 wounded, followed by southern province of Sindh where at least two people were killed and 59 others sustained injuries in six attacks.

The statistics revealed that the terrorists carried out a total of 31 bomb attacks at the same number of targets, including six direct attacks at security forces and five at police, killing six security personnel and five policemen.

Most of the attacks were carried out by planting bombs on roadsides, which were detonated with remote-controlled devices.

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