Miramshah

For the Timurid ruler, see Miran Shah. For the village in Iran, see Miranshah, Iran.
Miramshah
ميرمشاه
میران شاہ
Town & Administrative Headquarters
Miramshah
Coordinates: 33°00′00″N 70°03′54″E / 33.00°N 70.065°E / 33.00; 70.065Coordinates: 33°00′00″N 70°03′54″E / 33.00°N 70.065°E / 33.00; 70.065
Country  Pakistan
Federal territory Pakistan FATA
Agency North Waziristan
Elevation 929.64 m (3,050.00 ft)
Time zone PST (UTC+5)

Miramshah (Pashto: ميرمشاه‎; Urdu: میران شاہ) (pronounced "mirəmshāh"), or Miranshah, is a town and administrative headquarters of the North Waziristan Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.

Geography and topography

The town lies on the banks of the Tochi River in a wide valley surrounded by the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains. It is situated approximately 17 km from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at an elevation of approximately 3,050 ft.

The nearest town in Pakistan is Bannu and the nearest town across the border in Afghanistan is Khost.

Administration

Miramshah is the administrative headquarters of the North Waziristan Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA) and is governed by a political agent appointed by the Government of Pakistan.

History

25th Punjabis (now 9 Punjab, Pakistan Army) regimental band at Miram Shah, NWFP, 1917

Miramshah was named after the Timurid ruler, Miran Shah, the son of Timur.

In 1905, the British constructed Miramshah Fort to control North Waziristan.

In the early 1950s, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the "Tochi Scouts" of Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps carried out counter-insurgency operations from Miramshah Airfield and Miramshah Fort against the insurgency fomented by the rebellious Faqir of Ipi. In the 1950s, Miramshah was also the site of a weapons firing range of the PAF, which was located next to the Miramshah Airfield.[1]

After 9/11, Miramshah gained prominence in the United States-led War on Terror and has witnessed numerous drone strikes by the US Central Intelligence Agency targeting alleged militants hiding in the town and in the surrounding foothills.[2] Miramshah and its surrounding areas have also witnessed fighting between militants and Pakistani military and paramilitary forces.

Notable places

Miramshah has a historical fort built by the British in 1905, which, since Pakistan's independence on 14 August 1947, has been used as a garrison by the "Tochi Scouts" of Pakistan's Frontier Corps. The town also has a 7,000 ft. long airfield, which is used for both civil and military purposes.

Other notable places include a bazaar, a sports stadium, a primary school, a secondary school and a college.

Notable people

Sirajuddin Haqqani, a Pashtun warlord born in Afghanistan who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s and is currently fighting against the US-led ISAF coalition on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, has his base in Miramshah. He has been linked to attacks against US targets in Afghanistan, including the US Embassy in Kabul.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ John Pike. "14 Squadron". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
  2. ↑ "4 militants killed in US drone strike in Miranshah | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia". Pakistan Today. 2012-04-29. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
  3. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/world/asia/haqqani-network-threatens-us-pakistani-ties.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120731
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