The military is prepared for house-to-house combat to flush out the Taliban from their urban strongholds in Swat. "We have prepared for house-to-house fighting but if the militants leave Mingora, then we will avoid it," Maj Gen Athar Abbas said. "And one thing we like is avoiding a fight with people who're armed and somewhat dangerous!"
He said forces were heading towards Mingora from two directions. They would link up before assailing the city in force.
Elite commandos: Officials on Sunday said elite commando troops had been dropped into parts of Mingora for advance combat as the army lifted a curfew to allow thousands of civilians to flee.
After three days of heavy fighting, thousands of people who had been stranded left Mingora. Thousands more, many on foot or donkey-pulled carts, had streamed out of the valley during the curfew. "Everybody wants to get out of this hell," said a resident. "Some are driving out while many are just on foot. They don't know where they're heading but staying here means death."
In Mardan, an NWFP government official said 100,000 displaced people were expected to join the 252,000 already there.
The army on Sunday said it had killed at least 180 suspected Taliban over the previous 24 hours. It said at least 140 bodies were discovered in a camp in Shangla.