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Pakistan army fights for key city | Pakistan army fights for key city |
(30 minutes later) | |
Pakistan's army says it is fighting house by house to clear the Taliban from the city of Mingora, the largest in the Swat valley. | |
A spokesman said it now controlled a corridor from a suburb to the town centre, and had captured three of Mingora's five main crossroads. | |
Maj Gen Athar Abbas said the operation could be slow because security forces wanted to avoid civilian casualties. | |
The fighting began after a peace deal broke down earlier this month. | The fighting began after a peace deal broke down earlier this month. |
Hundreds have died and more than a million have fled Swat since the operation against the Taliban was launched. | |
Maj Gen Abbas said five militants had been killed and 14 arrested in Mingora on Sunday. | |
"The forces from the outside have established links with various troops with platoons inside, which were under siege because of the militant presence in the city," he told the BBC. | |
"Now they have established linkages and have increased their strength and have now started the operation of clearing the crossroads." | |
He added that soldiers were having to search buildings one at a time. | |
"The main buildings are being cleared. It is a big city, it will take a little more time but the operation is moving at a good pace," he said. | |
He warned that the operation could be "painfully slow", as up to 20,000 civilians were still trapped there. | |
"This is an extremely difficult, extremely dangerous operation because clearance has to be done street by street, house by house," he said. | |
Journalists are not allowed near the city so it is not possible to verify the army's claims. | |
But the success of Pakistan's military operation in the region hinges on a swift victory in Mingora, says the BBC's Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad. | |
This fresh assault on the Taliban has the full backing of the US, which has identified Pakistan and Afghanistan as central to the international battle against Islamist extremism. | This fresh assault on the Taliban has the full backing of the US, which has identified Pakistan and Afghanistan as central to the international battle against Islamist extremism. |
Scene of beheadings | |
Although the military has always had bases in Mingora, the city has effectively been under Taliban control in recent weeks. | |
One of the intersections the army says it has regained control over is Green Square where the Taliban is thought to have carried out several beheadings. | |
A citizen in Mingora confirmed this, but told the BBC that fighting was continuing in four nearby villages: Takhtaband, Garozai, Nawakalay and Shahdara. | |
There was no comment from the Taliban on the latest fighting in Mingora. | |
The army also said it had made progress in other parts of the Swat valley, with the city of Matta reportedly cleared of militants. | The army also said it had made progress in other parts of the Swat valley, with the city of Matta reportedly cleared of militants. |
Most people in Pakistan support the military offensive in Swat | |
A curfew remains in place in Matta, and there are already reports of many civilian casualties, but these cannot be independently confirmed. | |
Our correspondent says the Swat battle is the most important yet in the army's offensive against the Taliban in north-west Pakistan. | Our correspondent says the Swat battle is the most important yet in the army's offensive against the Taliban in north-west Pakistan. |
A swift victory would bolster public support for a greater fight against the militants, our correspondent adds. | A swift victory would bolster public support for a greater fight against the militants, our correspondent adds. |
But anything other than complete victory could diminish public support for the campaign and prove disastrous for Pakistan's fragile political coalition, he adds . | |
Nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced by this month's fighting in the north-western region, and about two million since last August, the UN's refugee agency says. | |
In separate developments over the weekend: | In separate developments over the weekend: |
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Pakistan's army began an offensive against the Taliban on 2 May after the peace deal broke down and the militants began expanding their area of influence. | Pakistan's army began an offensive against the Taliban on 2 May after the peace deal broke down and the militants began expanding their area of influence. |
In Swat, the army says that about 15,000 members of the security forces are fighting between 4,000 and 5,000 militants. | In Swat, the army says that about 15,000 members of the security forces are fighting between 4,000 and 5,000 militants. |
It says more than 1,000 militants and more than 50 soldiers have been killed since the offensive began. | It says more than 1,000 militants and more than 50 soldiers have been killed since the offensive began. |
Have you been affected by the events in this report? Are you in the Mingora area? Tell us what is happening near you by filling in the form below. | Have you been affected by the events in this report? Are you in the Mingora area? Tell us what is happening near you by filling in the form below. |
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |