Pakistan / Swat valley offensive

Army troops take Mingora town

Article published on the 2009-05-30 Latest update 2009-05-30 13:24 TU

An woman fleeing the fighting in Swat valley in a UNHCR camp
(Credit: Reuters)

Pakistan’s army says it has taken a major town from Taliban fighters in the country’s Swat region but says the offensive against the Taliban will continue. A rebel spokesman said earlier this week that the group would withdraw from the town to avoid civilian casualties while on Saturday the government said it would take care of the two million people who have been displaced by the fighting.

Pakistan’s army said on Saturday that its troops had taken control of the town of Mingora, a major commercial and administrative town in Pakistan’s Swat valley region. “The Mingora fight is finished,” said Major General Athar Abbas. “Security forces control the city”.
 
No independent confirmation of control of the town is possible since the area is closed to non-military. The town was taken on Saturday according to Abbas, who said however that “much more fight in Swat is left”.
 
Taliban fighters had been in the town of Mingora for weeks but a Taliban spokesman said earlier this week that they were withdrawing in order to prevent civilian deaths. Residents in the town told media this week that there was no electricity and that food and water were becoming scarce.
 
On Saturday the Pakistani government said it would take “full care” of the over two million people that have been displaced by the fighting. The Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the government had begun a “comprehensive policy” for relief and rehabilitation of the 2.4 people who’ve been forced to move because of the fighting.
 
Pakistan’s army says that it has killed over 1,200 fighters and that 90 of its own soldiers have died since it began its offensive in late April. The attack began after the Taliban advanced to within 100 kilometres of Islamabad.
 
Around 15,000 soldiers have been deployed in Swat according to the army, which says there are about 2,000 Taliban fighters in the area.