Rawalpindi: Security sources report escalating internal rifts among militant factions after a series of defeats, with several insurgents killed while attempting to cross the border over the past three months.
According to officials, these repeated losses have left the group’s leadership unsettled. Their chief, Noor Wali, has repeatedly instructed fighters to avoid using mobile phones to prevent detection.
Investigators revealed that the group has ordered its operatives to hide in mosques, guesthouses, and residences of undocumented Afghan nationals within populated areas, using these locations to manufacture explosives and to shield themselves.
The strategy is aimed at blending in with civilians and using them as human shields in case of security operations.
Sources added that militants exploit religious sites and guesthouses to craft a false narrative, blaming security forces for any civilian harm.
Recent disclosures from captured militant Abdul Samad confirm that mosques and guesthouses have been used for bomb-making and shelter.
Verified intelligence further indicates that the group is circulating fake, AI-generated, and outdated images and videos—particularly of children—on social media to mislead the public.
Security officials also disclosed that the militant leadership has directed illegal Afghan residents to take a more active role in attacks, noting that many of those involved in recent incidents in Dir and South Waziristan came from across the Afghan border.
Authorities affirmed that Pakistan’s security forces remain fully prepared and determined to eliminate militants and their facilitators.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently emphasized that Afghanistan must choose between supporting terrorists or maintaining ties with Pakistan.
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He reiterated that Pakistan will respond decisively to terrorism, making it clear that Afghan nationals involved in attacks and residing illegally in Pakistan will be expelled, and that the masterminds of such violence are being supported from abroad, including by India.