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Pakistani army says captures Taliban stronghold
Wed May 20, 2009 8:30pm EDT
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By Augustine Anthony
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani soldiers have captured the main Taliban stronghold in a district 100 km (60 miles) from the capital in heavy fighting in which 80 militants were killed, the military said on Wednesday.
Fighting in the Swat valley and the neighboring districts of Buner and Dir has forced about 1.5 million people from their homes in addition to about 550,000 people displaced earlier.
The United States has offered Pakistan $110 million to help the displaced and said it was trying to redress 30 years of "incoherent" U.S. policy toward the nuclear-armed country.
The military said security forces had captured the village of Sultanwas in Buner district, where the Taliban had built a stronghold complete with concrete bunkers.
"Security forces cleared Sultanwas last night after intense clashes. Reportedly 80 militant terrorists were killed," military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas told a briefing. One soldier was killed and nine wounded, he said.
Emboldened by a February peace pact, Taliban from Swat moved into Buner in early April, clashing with police and villagers in a drive to impose hardline rule.
The Taliban thrust into an area so close to Islamabad raised alarm both at home and abroad. The United States criticized the February pact, which authorities hoped would bring peace to Swat, as akin to abdicating to the militants.
Pakistani action against militants, especially in areas near the Afghan border in its northwest, is an essential part of U.S. plans to defeat al Qaeda and bring stability to Afghanistan.
The army attacked militants in Buner and Dir late last month and launched an offensive in Swat on May 8.
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After clearing many Taliban strongholds and supply depots in Swat's mountains, soldiers are battling militants in its towns where many thousands of civilians are believed to be hiding.
Abbas said clashes had erupted in three towns in Swat as soldiers conducted search and cordon operations.
The military wanted to finish the offensive as quickly as possible and minimize casualties among civilians who had been warned to stay away from the militants, he said.
Though politicians and members of the public broadly back the offensive, support will quickly evaporate if many civilians are killed or if the displaced languish in misery.
The United Nations has warned of a long-term humanitarian crisis and called for massive aid for the displaced. Continued...
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