Pakistani planes bombed the Taliban in their Swat Valley bastion today, after the prime minister ordered elimination of “militants and terrorists” and on the heels of a commitment to Washington to fight extremists.
The struggle in the scenic north-western valley 80 miles 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.
Helicopter gunships, fighters and troops were all involved in Swat operations, and up to 17 militants were killed after as many as 55 were killed the previous day, military officials said.
“To a rough estimate there are between 4,000 to 5,000 militants … present in Swat,” Major-General Athar Abbas, military spokesman, said in an interview with Dawn TV.
So there are maybe 5000 militants in Swat and 75 or so have been killed. This campaign is off to a very modest start.