Pakistan claims Swat offensive near end

PAKISTAN’S defence secretary said yesterday that a month-long offensive to crush Taliban fighters in north-west Swat could end within days, as fierce fighting spilled into a nearby tribal area.

Swat Valley’s main town Mingora is back in government hands, the military announced, and security officials said they were pursuing the top leadership of the hardline Taliban movement into the nearby mountains.

Secretary of Defence Syed Athar Ali told a security forum in Singapore that three targeted north-west districts were almost clear of Taliban rebels.