A girl fleeing military operations sits on a rock near a line for curry and bread at a UN camp in Pakistan. The military has lifted seven curfews in the Swat Valley region and says it may be close to taking another key village. (Photo: Adrees Latif, Reuters)

Key Town Within Pakistani Sights As Military Lifts Curfews in Swat

Peshawar. Pakistan reported heavy clashes on Monday on the outskirts of a Taliban stronghold as troops closed in on militants in the Swat valley, where residents spoke of fear and deprivation.

Pakistan’s northwest campaign has moved into a sixth week since Taliban fighters advanced to within 100 kilometers of Islamabad, flouting a deal to put 3 million people under shariah law in exchange for peace.

The military last week declared Mingora, the main town in Swat, back under government control but aid workers and witnesses described desperation in the city, where food and water are scarce, and electricity limited.

“Security forces have encircled Charbagh town where some top Taliban commanders are holed up,” a senior military official said.

The Pakistani military lifted curfews on Monday in seven areas in the Swat Valley in a further sign of confidence that its offensive against the Taliban is making progress, while militants killed two soldiers in a nearby tribal region that could be the next front in the army’s campaign.

Elsewhere in the volatile northwest region bordering Afghanistan, a bomb blast killed at least two people.

Pakistan launched the offensive in Swat and surrounding districts a month ago after militants violated the terms of a cease-fire and advanced into a region close to the capital, Islamabad. The US has praised the operation, which it considers a key test of Pakistani resolve to flush out militants implicated in attacks on Western forces in Afghanistan.

Although the military has captured Swat’s main town, Mingora, insurgents still control some areas in the valley. Already, however, a spate of clashes between the Taliban and troops in the South Waziristan tribal region have prompted speculation the military will extend its offensive beyond Swat.

South Waziristan is the main base for Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.

In the latest fighting there, militants firing rockets killed two soldiers, the army said in a statement on Monday. At least 25 militants and seven troops died in other clashes in that region over the weekend.

With the army still facing steep challenges in Swat, opening a new front in South Waziristan appears unlikely for now.

In many ways, South Waziristan — with its harsh terrain, reticent tribes and porous border with Afghanistan — would be a stiffer test for the armed forces. Al Qaeda and Taliban militants have long been entrenched in the semiautonomous tribal belt, and the government has had less influence there than in Swat.

Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for the tribal regions, said he could not say when an operation would take place, but that clearing South Waziristan was probably part of a “grand plan” aimed at eliminating militant sanctuaries in Pakistan.

One problem with tackling the tribal region now is that it would exacerbate an already massive humanitarian challenge facing the country — that of the estimated 3 million people displaced by the fighting so far.

Already, large numbers of families have begun leaving South Waziristan amid rumors of an imminent operation. In the Swat Valley, residents were trapped for days or weeks by the fighting.

Monday’s lifted curfews will allow thousands to leave home and get food and other supplies.

The military said daytime curfews were lifted on Monday in the Swat towns of Bahrain, Madyan, Fatehpur, Khwazakhela, Matta and Alpurai and in the nearby district of Shangla.

Militants, including Mehsud loyalists, have carried out some revenge attacks over the Swat operation. Their recent attacks on troops in South Waziristan could be part of that trend.

Mid-Monday, a blast at a busy bus terminal in Kohat town, an area near the tribal regions, killed at least two people and wounded at least 18 others, said local police officer Zafarullah Khan.

While Pakistan says it is close to beating the Taliban, battlefield success alone does not equal victory: Militant commanders are still at large, local governments and police forces have been decimated and millions of residents remain displaced from their homes.

Already, fighting is flaring in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda and the Taliban are more entrenched than they were in Swat.

AFP, AP

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