Fears grow for a million civilians in valley blitz

PAKISTANI forces attacked Taliban militants in the Swat valley yesterday, as concern grew about the fate of nearly a million people displaced by an upsurge in violence.

The military said 143 militants had been killed in the Islamist bastion of Swat over the past 24 hours. There was no independent confirmation. Seven soldiers had been killed, an army spokes- man said.

The struggle in the north- western valley, 130km from Islamabad and a former centre for tourism, has become a test of Pakistan’s resolve to fight a growing Taliban insurgency that has alarmed the United States.

Civilians have poured out of the valley since fighting intensified on Wednesday and aid groups have warned of an intensifying humanitarian crisis.

The UN refugee agency said a “massive displacement” was under way.

Citing provincial government estimates, it said up to 200,000 people had left their homes over recent days with another 300,000 on the move or about to move.

They are joining another 555,000 people displaced in other areas because of fighting since August, it said.

The government has ordered the army to strike at “militants and terrorists” it said were trying to hold the country at gunpoint.

“On the directive of the government, the army is now engaged in a full-scale operation to eliminate the militants,” military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told a news briefing at army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

“They are on the run and trying to block exodus of civilians from the area,” Abbas said, while warning that the operation was difficult and declining to give a time for clearing the valley.

Earlier, helicopter gunships and fighters attacked Taliban positions. There were 4,000 to 5,000 militants in the valley while up to 15,000 members of the security forces were involved, Abbas said.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, in Washington this week, assured US President Barack Obama of Islamabad’s commitment to defeating al-Qaida and its allies. If the military causes civilian casualties, the growing support for government action wane. The growing refugee burden could also sour sentiment. But at the moment some are cheering on the government.

“If the government is serious in eliminating militants from Swat then we will support the military operation,” Khalid Khan, a social worker and resident of the Dheri Baba area in Swat, said.

“We are ready to make every sacrifice if the government really means business this time,” said Gul Omer, a poultry trader, referring to previous, inconclusive military action that was followed by the peace deal.

Reinforcements have been arriving in Swat as a peace pact collapsed and fighting has intensified since Wednesday.

Authorities agreed in February to a Taliban demand for Sha’ria law in Swat but the militants refused to disarm, and pushed out of Swat closer to the capital.