North Waziristan (
Shomali Waziristan), abbreviated as
NWA, is the northern part of
Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest
Pakistan, bordering
Afghanistan and covering . Waziristan comprises the area west and south-west of
Peshawar between the
Kurram River (Tochi River) to the north and the
Gomal River to the south, forming part of Pakistan's
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Miranshah is capital of North Waziristan.
Bannu,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lies immediately to the east. The region became an independent tribal territory in 1893, remaining outside of the British empire and
Afghanistan. Tribal raiding into British territory was a constant problem for the British, requiring frequent punitive expeditions between 1860 and 1945. The region became part of Pakistan upon its independence in 1947.