Pakistan battles for Swat's Taliban-held main town

by Lehaz Ali Lehaz Ali – Sun May 24, 4:14 am ET

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) –

Pakistan's military said Sunday it had seized several key areas in the Swat valley's Taliban-held main town, as their battle to regain control of the northwest reached a crucial phase.

Troops moved into Mingora on Saturday, fighting street-by-street with Islamic insurgents who last month flouted a ceasefire agreement and moved toward the capital Islamabad, sparking a fierce US-backed military retaliation.

By Sunday, officials said several important intersections and three squares in Mingora were under their control, including the notorious Green Square where the Taliban reportedly carried out beheadings late last year.

The ground assault on Mingora, a city with an estimated population of about 300,000 -- many of whom have fled -- marks the most critical part of the military's offensive against the Taliban in the picturesque Swat valley.

"Security forces are engaged in clearing landmines. They are also conducting search operations in the areas under their control," a security official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Another military official told AFP soldiers remained locked in street battles in Mingora, where Taliban fighters have in recent weeks been patrolling with guns and rocket launchers, according to terrified residents.

"Clashes are going on between security forces and militants in Nawa Kilay neighbourhood of Mingora and its western suburb of Qambar," he said.

A curfew remained in place in the city and gunfire could be heard, the official said, but there was no shelling overnight.

Attempts to contact local residents by telephone were impossible with both mobile and landline networks down.

Although the military has bases inside Mingora, the town has been under effective Taliban control. As the administrative and business hub of the district, its capture is essential for the army to declare victory in Swat.

"Mingora is vital for both the Taliban and the troops. The Taliban have put in lot of assets there. They dug in there, they mined the city and seized commercial units," said security analyst Ikram Sehgal.

"It is the capital of Swat and it has a psychological value. A victory there will be big boost for the security force."

Fears grow, however, for between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians that the military say are still trapped in Mingora, cowering behind closed doors with dwindling supplies of food and no access to medical care.

More than 1.7 million people have already fled the military assault, which began in Lower Dir district four weeks ago and has now gripped Buner and Swat.

Security forces say 15,000 troops are now fighting 1,500 to 2,000 "hardcore" Taliban fighters in Swat, where the government last month ordered a push to eradicate fighters who thrust to within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of Islamabad.

The Taliban fighters' advance came despite a February deal with a pro-Taliban cleric which put three million people in the northwest under sharia law in a bid to end the two-year Taliban (resistance to the NATO occupation of Afghanistan) -- a deal which now lies in tatters.

Chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said Saturday parts of Mingora had already been cleared and that 17 militants, including an important commander, were killed.

Pakistani troops have been tightening their encirclement of the city for days and Abbas said Taliban supplies had been cut off.

Washington had baulked at the February shari'a deal but Islamabad's fresh assault has the full backing of the United States, which has identified Pakistan and Afghanistan as central to its battle with (the Taliban resistance to the NATO occupation of Afghanistan).