Security forces neutralise terrorists’ hideouts in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali: ISPR

Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Muzak village on the southern outskirts of North Waziristan’s Mir Ali in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, neutralising two terrorist hideouts, the military’s media wing said on Monday.

During the operation, troops “sanitised” the hideouts belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij.

Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

According to a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces recovered a huge cache of prepared improvised explosive devices (IEDs), explosive preparation material, weapons, and ammunition from hideouts, which were established inside mosques.

The statement added that the terrorists had “deliberately established hideouts in Masajid to store explosive materials and also were running torture cells there,” observing that, “this reprehensible desecration of places of worship by Indian proxy Fitna Al Khwarij serves yet another clear evidence of their utter disregard of fundamental teachings of Islam.”

ISPR maintained that the terrorists, who it had said were facilitated by the Afghan Taliban, had no connection with Islam and their “perverted interpretation and misuse of our great religion is unacceptable and fully rejected by proud and righteous people of KP and Pakistan”.

Moreover, a sanitisation operation was “being conducted by brave soldiers of Pakistan security forces to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist hideouts in the area,” ISPR said.

“Relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision Azm-i-Istehkam by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out [the] menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”

President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces for the successful IBO, praising their “professionalism”.

“Using mosques to store explosives and as centres of violence is a blatant violation of Islam’s fundamental teachings,” he said on X.

“Terrorist elements operating with the support of the Afghan Taliban have no connection to Islam. Arbitrary interpretations and misuse of religion are unacceptable,” the president stressed.

Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi described the incident as “deeply distressing” while also praising the security forces for the successful IBO, Pakistan TV reported.

The governor also called for “intensified” IBOs to restore peace across KP and reaffirmed his support for security forces in their efforts to bring lasting peace to the province, Pakistan TV stated.

KP and Balochistan have been witnessing terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time.

The country’s security environment continued to show considerable volatility from October 30 to November 5, 2026, with renewed terrorist activity in parts of KP and the former tribal districts, alongside intensified counterterrorism operations and changing patterns of militant violence, according to Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

Per the latest PICSS Weekly Insight, 49 militant attacks were recorded nationwide during the reporting period, compared with 31 in the preceding week. These incidents resulted in 25 fatalities and 21 injuries.

On October 8, security forces killed nine terrorists in an IBO in North Waziristan, while a day earlier, 18 terrorists were eliminated in separate engagements in KP and Balochistan.