ISLAMABAD, MAY 10
Over 230 Taliban were killed in fierce fighting with troops in Pakistan’s northwest tribal belt, the military said today, as President Asif Ali Zardari asserted that his Government was determined to eliminate all terrorists holed up in the restive Swat valley.
Amid intensification in the military offensive, thousands of terrified civilians fled the scenic valley after relaxation of curfew, even as the authorities voiced fears that over a million people could be displaced due to fighting.
About 60 Taliban were killed when troops targeted militant positions in Swat, including the rebel strongholds of Peochar and Fizaghat, the military said in a statement.
Another 150 militants were killed when security forces destroyed a Taliban training camp at Banai Baba in Shangla district.
Bodies and weapons were found in the area, the statement said.
Five more militants were killed in a clash in nearby Dir district.
At least 26 pro-Taliban fighters were killed and 16 more injured when troops repulsed an attack by militants on a security check post in Mohmand tribal region early this morning.
Fourteen security personnel were also injured in the clashes that erupted when about 300 militants attacked a check post of the Mohmand Rifles.
Two soldiers were killed in operations in Shangla, while another soldier was injured in Dir.
President Zardari, who is in a State visit to the US, told a TV channel that the army will achieve effective success in the operation against terrorists.
When asked to clarify on the statement made by his Prime Minister that the objective was to ‘eliminate the militants and terrorists,’ Zardari said:
‘That means clearing out the area of the miscreants and bringing life to normalcy.’
Asked if ‘eliminate’ means ‘killing them all’, Zardari replied, ‘That’s what it means.’
The military, meanwhile, said troops were continuing to make advances in Shangla, Buner and Dir despite intense exchanges of fire and resistance from the militants. Troops were also consolidating positions on Gulabad heights in Dir.
In Buner, gunship helicopters targeted militant positions at Barwada Char, causing ‘heavy casualties’ and destroying six bunkers and two ammunition dumps.
Troops also captured ridges around Sultanwas town, where the Taliban have a strong presence, and surrounded the militants, the statement said.
The military accused the Taliban of causing civilian casualties due to indiscriminate mortar fire and planting of improvised explosive devices in streets and populated areas of Swat, including Mingora, the main city in the valley.
It said militants were resorting to such steps to blame the civilian causalities on the security forces.
The military statement said the militants destroyed two schools and killed the imam of a mosque in Swat. It added that a reporter of a leading TV news channel had reportedly been kidnapped by militants at Chakdara in Dir.
Thousands of people continued to flee Swat as curfew was relaxed from 6 am to 3 pm today but the people faced problems due to lack of transport. Authorities advised residents of several areas of Swat, including Qambar, Rahimabad and Kabal, to leave their homes.
Authorities barred the entry of vehicles from outside Swat and people fleeing their homes said very few cars and buses were available within the valley.
Reports from Mingora, the main city in Swat, said hundreds of people were walking for days to reach relief camps set up by the authorities. The indefinite curfew at Maidan in Dir caused a shortage of essential items.
Revised estimates prepared by authorities and aid agencies said up to a million people could be displaced by the fighting in the NWFP. The provincial Government has sought emergency aid from international agencies, saying the funds allocated by the federal Government would be inadequate to cope with the situation.
Meanwhile, confusion surrounded the death of 18 people in a gun battle between security forces and militants near Wana in South Waziristan Agency. The military said troops had killed 18 militants in an exchange of fire in Spin area, after rebels attacked a security forces convoy. It said a soldier was also killed and a militant was apprehended.
However, media reports claimed several civilians, including schoolteachers, were killed when they were caught in the crossfire between militants and security forces.
