Peshawar, Nov 9 (PTI) Security forces in Pakistan have recovered a large cache of explosives, weapons and ammunition from two militant hideouts established inside mosques during an intelligence-based operation in the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military's media wing said on Monday.
The operation was conducted in Muzak village on the southern outskirts of Mir Ali tehsil in North Waziristan on Sunday, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations.
The operation was launched against reported hideouts of militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), referred to by the state as Fitna al-Khawarij.
During the operation, security forces sanitised two hideouts established inside mosques and recovered a large quantity of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), explosive-making material, weapons and ammunition, the statement said.
The militants had deliberately used the mosques to store explosives and establish torture cells, describing the act as a desecration of places of worship and a disregard for the teachings of Islam, it said.
The statement said the militants, allegedly backed by the Afghan Taliban, had no connection with Islam and that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan rejected their interpretation and misuse of the religion.
A sanitisation operation is underway to eliminate any remaining militant hideouts in the area, it said.
The counterterrorism campaign under the vision "Azm-e-Istehkam" would continue to eradicate foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country, the statement added.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi described the incident as "deeply distressing" and praised security forces for the successful intelligence-based operation.
He also called for intensified operations to restore peace across the province and reaffirmed his support for security forces in their efforts to bring lasting peace.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces have been witnessing terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last month.
On October 11, the federal government declared the emergency, citing a severe breakdown in security due to surging militant violence and the provincial administration's failure to handle the crisis.
Pakistan's security situation remained volatile during the October 30 to November 5 period, with renewed militant activity in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the former tribal districts, alongside intensified counterterrorism operations, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.
The institute recorded 49 militant attacks nationwide during the period, compared with 31 in the preceding week. The incidents resulted in 25 fatalities and 21 injuries, according to its latest weekly insight.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)