Horror in Mir Ali: militants set car on fire, killing six civilians over unpaid extortion

MIR ALI: Militants from the Fitanah al-Khawarij group set a vehicle ablaze in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, after the occupants refused to pay extortion, killing six people, local sources said.

According to sources, the militants doused the vehicle with petrol and ignited it, killing six unarmed civilians inside.

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the area after the incident to pursue the perpetrators.

Residents of Mir Ali condemned the atrocity and appealed to the government to rid the area of the militants.

“What kind of religion or jihad is this that innocent people are killed over personal enmity?” locals asked.

Security agencies said that they are conducting search operation in the area to arrest the militants.

Meanwhile, security forces killed seven Indian-sponsored terrorists in separate operations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources said on Wednesday, as the government remains determined to root out terrorism from Pakistan.

In Dalbandin, security forces targeted a group of Fitna al-Hindustan terrorists, killing six of them after tracking their movements through aerial surveillance, the sources said. They added that the militants had been using a cave as their hideout.

Fitna al-Hindustan is the term used for the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other outlawed outfits that mainly operate in Balochistan while using Afghanistan as a base to launch terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

In a separate operation against Fitna al-Khawarij — the term used to describe the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and affiliated groups — security forces destroyed several hideouts and tunnels in the Shahi Tangi area of Bajaur, the sources said.

According to the sources, it was an intelligence-based operation in which security forces engaged the militants hiding inside a cave, leading to a firefight. One terrorist was killed, while several others were injured and managed to flee.

Shahi Tangi is located at an elevation of approximately 1,000–1,500 meters above sea level, with surrounding hills rising sharply to over 2,000–3,000 meters. The area’s narrow gorges serve as natural mountain passes, often used by militants for concealment and movement.