Combat spreads in Swat

SWAT/MOHMAND AGENCY - As fighting flared up in several areas of Swat Valley on Thursday in which a key militant commander was killed, another prominent Taliban commander Yarseed along with five other militants surrendered themselves in Mohmand Agency on Thursday.
They handed themselves over to the Agency administration at a ceremony held in Jirga Hall of Ghalani in the presence of Political Agent Amjad Ali.
Addressing the ceremony, the Political Agent remarked that though the militants had shocked and tortured the nation as well as the government, the government would take care of them if they surrendered. The five others who surrendered included Tariq, Usman, Hasseen Shah, Mohammad Ishaq and Gul Zamin.
Amjad Ali said, “Pakistan is an Islamic country and there is no ban on Islamic way of life. We are Muslims and know the principles of Islam very well.” He said that Pakistan was a stable country and no one could dare destabilise it. He said that militants could not justify their activities as they were fighting against their own people.
He thanked the elders of Safi tribe who convinced these militants to lay down arms. He said all the miscreants should know that government had an alternate option in case of failure of dialogue. He urged the militants to disarm themselves for the sake of the development of the country.
Yarseed on the occasion said that he had joined Taliban for the sake of Islam but when he saw the IDPs’ women in various relief camps, he compelled to lay down arms and hand over himself to the government.
Reuters/AFP adds: A number of terrorists including one of their commanders Abu Tariq were killed while seven miscreants held from various parts of the area during the last 24 hours.
In an update issued here Thursday by the ISPR, five soldiers embraced Shahadat and seven others including an officer injured in various areas of Swat.
The military reported fighting in Peochar, a key Taliban bastion in northern Swat, the town of Kanju and around a Taliban supply line in Takhtabund.
Security forces cleared a number of miscreants’ hideouts in the Poechar valley and are conducting search and destroy operations while fire battles continued between terrorists and the troops.
Security forces attacked and “fully secured” the strategic plateau of Banai Baba Ziarat, which the military called “the highest point in the area”.
Forces have secured and cleared the area up to Shahid Khapa and making further advancement towards the valley. During clashes, few terrorists were killed and three soldiers hurt.
In Kanju and Takhtaband areas the security forces are strengthening their positions around Takhtaband Bridge, Barikot, Gokdara, and Udigram. The security forces Wednesday attacked the Banai Baba Ziarat occupied by the terrorists and the highest point in the area while Ziarat was fully secured by the Army.
The military says more than 1,050 militants and more than 60 soldiers have been killed since forces launched an offensive against advancing Taliban militants in northwest Pakistan late last month.
Such death tolls are impossible to confirm independently with the combat area a closed military zone, sealed off to journalists and aid workers.
NNI adds: Chief of Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman Thursday visited an operational base from where air operations are being conducted against the militants in Swat valley and adjoining areas.
On his arrival at the operational base, the Base Commander briefed the Air Chief about the significant aspects of air operations, a PAF statement said.
While addressing the airmen of the base, the Air Chief said, “PAF undertook its obligations towards national security and is, therefore, supporting Pak Army in its ground operations to restore writ of the government in Swat and root out militancy from there. PAF is striking targets, which are located in isolated areas. PAF is making all possible efforts to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage. For this, it is only using precision guided munitions (PGMs).”
The Air Chief also said, “Intelligence and information about targets are being provided to PAF by the ground forces engaged with the militants. Pak Army as well as the PAF are extremely careful about targets’ selection to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage during the operation. The targets engaged by PAF are ammunition dumps, militants training camps, militant commanders’ hideouts and tunnel structures. The militants have been flushed out from their hideouts.”
While talking about the PAF relief operations for IDPs, he said, “PAF is also contributing significantly towards the relief efforts for the IDPs. It is in the process of setting up a relief camp for 250 families and a field hospital, which will be run by the NWFP government and sustained by the PAF. PAF will hand over the camp and relief goods to NWFP government shortly.”
He further said the PAF would continue its relief operations by airlifting relief goods from Karachi, Quetta and Lahore by utilising its transports aircraft fleet to ensure speedy delivery of the relief goods to needy IDPs.”