Miranshah Airfield

1905: British constructed Miranshah Fort to control North Waziristan using mud bricks

Occupied by Tochi Scouts, faced repeated tribal raids

1919: 3rd Afghan War led to Afghan raids, tribes rose up

10,000+ Indian Army troops deployed to re-establish British control

Five RAF squadrons conducted strafing and bombing attacks on tribes

1,300 men killed, bombings ended conflict

November 1923: British government made Miranshah a Royal Air Force Base

Used existing fort to house RAF personnel

1925: North side of fort constructed with runway for Waziristan operations

Technical buildings included hangars, store-rooms, workshops, offices, tents

1925: RAF conducted Pink's War air operations against tribesmen

RAF maintained flight at Miranshah for Northwest Frontier operations

1937-onwards: Flights exclusively by Squadrons 5, 20, 28, 31, 60 (two-month rotations)

Mud fort contained HQ, hangars, officers mess, tented accommodation

Guard towers with powerful searchlights, aircraft kept within fort

L-shaped airstrip outside fort: 800 yards (732m)

Located 3,000 feet high, surrounded by hills, prone to severe storms and hail

1940: Put under control of RAF Kohat

August 1943 - June 1947: Commanded by IAF officers

1950: PAF and Tochi Scouts conducted counter-insurgency operations

No. 14 Fighter-bomber Squadron stationed to contain tribal insurgency

Weapons firing range located next to airfield

1958: Accommodated Hawker Fury fighters, ~10,000 gallons jet fuel capacity

1958: Featured 8 hangars, two runways, Category "A" maintenance

2008: Marked as abandoned on US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency map

Present: Used for both civil and military operations