(NEWSER) – Annual terrorist attacks have more than quadrupled since the September 11, 2001, attacks, a new study finds, with Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Yemen most affected. But, after peaking in 2007, the number of deaths per year in such attacks has been decreasing, Reuters reports. Last year, there were 7,473 deaths in terrorist attacks, down 25% from 2007. The Global Terrorism Index findings suggest that the war on terror has actually contributed to an increase in terrorism, since terrorist activity initially fell after 9/11, then "escalated dramatically" after the US invaded Iraq, says a researcher.

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