Pakistani troops make Swat gains
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The Associated Press
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 25, 2009 00:00
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan says it has seized control of various areas in the troubled Swat Valley, raising the prospects of victory in the country’s decisive battle against Taliban fighters. Troops also catch a Taliban mastermind, alleged to have been involved in several attacks during a raid on a religious school
Pakistani troops battling the Taliban have captured several points in the Swat Valley's main town, the army said yesterday, including a spot nicknamed "bloody intersection" because militants routinely dumped the mutilated bodies of their victims there.
Elsewhere in the northwest, helicopter gunships pounded alleged militant hide-outs in a tribal region, killing at least 18 people, while police said they had captured an important militant commander and six other Taliban fighters.
A military statement yesterday said forces moving from street to street secured eight crossings while encountering at least 12 roadside bombs. One secured spot is Green Chowk, which earned the "bloody intersection" tag due to the terrifying spectacle of the Taliban victims. Overall in the valley, 10 militants were killed in the past 24 hours while three security troops died, it said.
The army has said 10,000 to 20,000 residents are still stranded in the town, which normally has a population of at least 375,000. One trapped civilian told The Associated Press via phone Saturday night that gunshots were ringing through the air, first continuously then at intervals. He said he had tried to flee the city twice but failed due to the fighting and lack of transportation.
’Inviting death’
"I will try to leave again whenever I get another chance," said Fazal Wadood, a local leader of the opposition PML-N party. "It is like inviting death to stay here anymore."
The army also said that its forces had entered Piochar village, a hub in a remote part of Swat that is considered the rear base for Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah. A large cache of arms was recovered from suspected militant hide-outs and a bomb-making factory was unearthed, the military statement said. Helicopter gunships pounded suspected militant targets in multiple locations, including a religious school, early yesterday in the Orakzai tribal region, local government official Mohammad Yasin said. At least six civilians were among the 18 dead, he said, adding that the targeted spots were strongholds of Hakeemullah Mehsud, a deputy to Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud. Hundreds fled the area amid the fighting, he said.
The offensive has triggered an exodus of nearly 1.9 million refugees, more than 160,000 to relief camps. Some fear the generally broad public support for the military campaign could drain away if the refugees' plight worsens or if the army gets bogged down too long.
Elsewhere in the northwest, helicopter gunships pounded alleged militant hide-outs in a tribal region, killing at least 18 people, while police said they had captured an important militant commander and six other Taliban fighters.
A military statement yesterday said forces moving from street to street secured eight crossings while encountering at least 12 roadside bombs. One secured spot is Green Chowk, which earned the "bloody intersection" tag due to the terrifying spectacle of the Taliban victims. Overall in the valley, 10 militants were killed in the past 24 hours while three security troops died, it said.
The army has said 10,000 to 20,000 residents are still stranded in the town, which normally has a population of at least 375,000. One trapped civilian told The Associated Press via phone Saturday night that gunshots were ringing through the air, first continuously then at intervals. He said he had tried to flee the city twice but failed due to the fighting and lack of transportation.
’Inviting death’
"I will try to leave again whenever I get another chance," said Fazal Wadood, a local leader of the opposition PML-N party. "It is like inviting death to stay here anymore."
The army also said that its forces had entered Piochar village, a hub in a remote part of Swat that is considered the rear base for Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah. A large cache of arms was recovered from suspected militant hide-outs and a bomb-making factory was unearthed, the military statement said. Helicopter gunships pounded suspected militant targets in multiple locations, including a religious school, early yesterday in the Orakzai tribal region, local government official Mohammad Yasin said. At least six civilians were among the 18 dead, he said, adding that the targeted spots were strongholds of Hakeemullah Mehsud, a deputy to Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud. Hundreds fled the area amid the fighting, he said.
The offensive has triggered an exodus of nearly 1.9 million refugees, more than 160,000 to relief camps. Some fear the generally broad public support for the military campaign could drain away if the refugees' plight worsens or if the army gets bogged down too long.