Pakistani warplanes bombed suspected militant positions in a stronghold close to the capital yesterday, pressing ahead with a fierce offensive that the government said killed 700 insurgents and put the Taliban on the run.
The UN said 360,600 refugees had fled Swat and neighboring Dir and Buner districts since operations began last week. That number is on top of some 500,000 people displaced by past offensives — a major humanitarian challenge for the weak government that could test public support for the offensive.
In one camp in the town of Mardan, just south of the battle zone, hundreds of displaced people waited for hours to register with the UN to gain access to tents, food and medical treatment.
Islamabad’s tough military response has earned praise from the US, which wants al-Qaeda and Taliban militants rooted out from havens where they can plan attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan and destabilize nuclear-armed Pakistan.
The military launched the offensive after the insurgents in Swat used a peace deal to impose their reign in other neighboring areas, including a stretch just 100km from the capital, Islamabad.
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said 700 militants had been killed around Swat in the last four days.
“The operation will continue until the last Talib,” Malik said in Islamabad. “We haven’t given them a chance. They are on the run. They were not expecting such an offensive.”
Malik’s casualty number — which exceeds that given by the military on Sunday by at least 200 — and his claims of success could not be independently verified.
The military is restricting access to the battlefields and many local journalists have also left. The government has not given figures for civilian casualties, but accounts from refugees suggest they are significant.
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