Pakistani security forces apprehended 10 suspected terrorists and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunitions in continued hunt for terrorists at various parts of North Waziristan tribal agency during the last 24 hours.

The security forces on a tip off by locals busted a deserted compound apparently portraying as a religious school at Dandi Kuch area located some 11 kilometers northwest of Spinwam, but it was actually being used as a terrorist den, said an military press release issued on Monday.

The locals informed that a number of suspected persons visited the compound and used it for launching rocket attacks on military installations and civilian population in the area.

Security forces carried out a thorough search of the compound and recovered heavy weapons including grenades, fuzes, machine guns, binoculars bayonets, daggers, bandolier, commando uniform, ladies costumes, wigs and a large quantity of rounds of various caliber. A sports medal with Persian inscription was also recovered from the spot.

Surprisingly, the school had been established at an absolutely unpopulated location and is an attempt on the part of terrorists to use the cover of religious place for sabotage activities, said the press release.

In a related development, the forces arrested seven suspected terrorists from Mera Din area of Shawal Valley and three others from various places close to the Pak-Afghan border between 18 to 25 years of age.

Their identity could not be immediately established. The arrested persons have been handed over to the intelligence agencies for further interrogations.

In the past years, the Pakistani security forces have launched operations against al-Qaeda terrorists and Taliban remnants in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

The military believes that the backbone of the al-Qaeda terrorist net in the tribal areas has been broken and only 70 to 80 foreign terrorists are still hiding there.

Source: Xinhua