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1,000 Taliban killed in military offensive: Malik
ISLAMABAD/MARDAN: Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Sunday that more than 1,000 Taliban had been killed in the militarys three-week offensive in Swat. More than 1,000 Taliban, including two commanders, have been killed while their training centres and bases have been destroyed, Malik told a press conference in Mardan. The minister called on the Taliban to lay down their weapons. The army offensive will continue until the Taliban are flushed out ... the Taliban are on the run, they will be eliminated at any cost, he said after visiting a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Malik said security forces were hunting for the leaders of the Taliban in Swat. Those leaders, those commanders, who are controlling the Taliban, obviously were going to hit them. Were not going to spare them, he said. Youll hear good news soon. Malik said Dir and Buner districts are under the complete control of the government, and the IDPs from these areas could return home. He said that scores of displaced families had already left camps to return to Buner. However, the minister urged people to flee from Mingora the main town of Swat around which intense clashes have erupted but said IDPs could return to some other areas in the valley that troops had cleared. Posted by: Steve White 2009-05-18 |
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