Pakistan – Swat valley offensive

Pakistan military closes in on main Swat valley town

Article published on the 2009-05-24 Latest update 2009-05-24 14:18 TU

Swat valley residents fleeing violence have taken shelter in UN refugee camps
(Photo: Reuters)

Pakistani security forces said it is close to taking the Swat valley’s main town, Mingora, back from Taliban control. Thousands of civilians have fled the area as the military offensive continues.

Troops started moving into Mingora Saturday, engaging militants in street fights.  Officials on Sunday said it had several intersections under its control, including the Green Square, where the Taliban reportedly carried out beheadings late last year.

“Today we have some reports from Mingora city that the security forces are continuing their advance, and they’re killing and arresting the militants who took control of Mingora city weeks back,” reported correspondent Behroz Khan, from Peshawar.

“The success of this ongoing operation will depend on the liberation of Mingora city.”

Many of the town’s 300,000 residents have left the city.

“A few thousand people are still in Mingora city, they are either very poor, they cannot afford the transportation, or they are trapped in the areas where the militants are controlling, or mainly due to the curfew which has been imposed on Mingora city,” said Kahn.

The military said in a statement that ten militants had been killed between Saturday and Sunday, five in Mingora.

“This time the casualties from the civilians are very low, we can say nominal, mainly militants have been killed in this latest operation,” said Kahn

Sunday the military also launched an attack in the nearby area of Orakzai, killing eight militants.

Security forces say 15,000 troops are now fighting 1,500 to 2,000 militants in Swat. More than 1.7 million people have fled. The operation began in Lower Dir district four weeks ago and has now gripped Buner and Swat.

“The whole nation is behind the security forces, not only the people of Swat or Buner, or Dir for that matter, the whole country is watching and waiting,” said Kahn.