Islamabad - The Pakistani army said it killed two senior
militant commanders in the troubled Swat mountain district on Sunday.
Amir Zeb and another rebel leader identified by the single name of
Ayub were gunned down during a search operation in the Sambat area of
Swat's Matta sub-district, said military spokesman Major Murad Khan.
Pakistani military troops also blew up the rebel's hideout during
the successful operation, which came after an attack on a convoy of
security forces in the area. No government casualties were reported
in the blitz.
Government forces have been battling militant supporters of
firebrand pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah since October 2007
when the rebels launched an armed struggle to impose self-defined
Islamic laws on the region.
Fazlullah, who has apparently gone underground to escape the
offensive, used an illegal FM radio signal to incite a rebellion and
to give calls for men not to shave their beards and for girls not to
be sent to school.
Swat was until last year a popular tourist destination with its
serene settings and the country's only ski resort, which has now been
blown up by the insurgents.
The Swat valley saw a brief lull in the fighting earlier this year
when a new democratic government initiated peace talks with
Fazlullah's men. When the truce did not hold, militants relaunched
roadside attacks and suicide bombing campaigns against the army
within weeks.
The rebels have also destroyed several government buildings,
including girls' schools, a gas installation and a grid station,
leaving most parts of the Swat district without electricity.
The cut in power also led to the suspension of supplies of potable
water to different towns, forcing residents to turn to wells and
underground sources. According to media reports, outbreaks of cholera
and gastroenteritis through untreated water have afflicted nearly
2,000 people.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story