Two terrorist hideouts in mosques cleared during North Waziristan operation: ISPR

Security forces carried out an intelligence-led operation on November 8 in North Waziristan, recovering explosives, weapons and ammunition from two alleged terrorist hideouts within mosques. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported that the operation targeted hideouts of the Indian-backed Fitna al-Khawarij, a group described as foreign-sponsored.

During the raid, security forces dismantled the two mosques-turned-hideouts and confiscated a large stockpile of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), materials used to assemble explosives, as well as weapons and ammunition. The terrorists had deliberately utilized mosques for these illicit purposes, transforming sacred places of worship into sites for storing explosives and operating torture cells, an act the ISPR condemned as desecration of Islamic sites.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the security forces for their successful intelligence-driven operation, emphasizing the desecration of religious sites by the terrorists. He described the use of mosques for terrorist activities by the Fitna al-Khawarij as a clear deviation from the core tenets of Islam. The prime minister vowed that security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue their relentless efforts to eliminate terrorism with full force.

The ISPR also disclosed that a simultaneous sanitization operation is underway in the area to eliminate any remaining terrorist hideouts. Additionally, the counterterrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan, will continue unabated to eradicate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.