Miranshah is a town and administrative headquarters of the North Waziristan Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.
This town lies on the banks of the Tochi River in a wide valley surrounded by the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains and is situated approximately 17 km from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at an elevation of approximately 3,050 ft.
Its nearest town in Pakistan is Bannu and the nearest town in Afghanistan is Khost.
Miranshah was named after the Timurid ruler, Miran Shah, the son of Timur. The British in 1905 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.
Miranshah gained prominence in the United States-led War on Terror after 9/11 and has witnessed numerous drone strikes by the US Central Intelligence Agency targeting alleged militants hiding in the town and in the surrounding foothills.Miranshah and its surrounding areas have also witnessed fighting between militants and Pakistani military and paramilitary forces.
Miranshah 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.