RAWALPINDI, November 9, 2026: Security forces recovered a large cache of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), weapons and ammunition during an intelligence-based operation targeting suspected terrorist hideouts inside two mosques in North Waziristan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday.
According to the military’s media wing, the operation was conducted on November 8 in Muzak village, located on the southern outskirts of Mir Ali, following intelligence reports about hideouts allegedly established by militants belonging to Fitna Al Khwarij.
During the operation, security personnel cleared two suspected terrorist hideouts established inside mosques and recovered prepared IEDs, explosive-making materials, weapons and ammunition.
The ISPR said the militants had deliberately used places of worship to store explosives and had also established torture cells inside the premises.
The military condemned the alleged misuse of mosques, describing it as a violation of the sanctity of religious institutions and fundamental Islamic teachings.
In its statement, the ISPR described Fitna Al Khwarij as an Indian-backed militant network and alleged that its members were receiving support from the Afghan Taliban. These allegations were made by the Pakistani military and could not be independently verified.
The military maintained that the use of religious sites for militant activities was unacceptable and contrary to the values upheld by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan.
According to the ISPR, a sanitisation operation remains underway in the area to locate and eliminate any additional suspected terrorist hideouts.
The military reaffirmed that counterterrorism operations would continue under Azm-e-Istehkam, the national counterterrorism initiative approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan.
The ISPR said security forces and law enforcement agencies would maintain their campaign against what it described as foreign-sponsored terrorism to ensure lasting peace and security across the country.