Blitz on Taliban forces kills dozens

HELICOPTER gunships and mortar teams pounded militant strongholds yesterday, killing dozens outside emerald mines, the military said, as Taliban reinforcements poured down from their mountain hide-outs and seized homes and government buildings.

The army began taking the fight to militants entrenched in both the Swat Valley and in Buner, just 95 kilometres from the capital, as Pakistan’s leader prepared to hear demands from US president Barack Obama for forceful action from a struggling ally. The latest actions will please Washington, which is urging Pakistan to crack down on militants blamed for rising violence at home and in Afghanistan.

Since fighting broke out on Tuesday, thousands of men, women and children have fled Swat’s main town of Mingora and surrounding districts, fearing an imminent major military operation. The government said it believes refugee numbers could reach 500,000.