Pak commandos airdropped in Swat

Pakistani commandos were on Tuesday dropped by helicopters into a key militant stronghold in remote parts of the Swat valley as the army stepped....

Pakistani commandos were on Tuesday dropped by helicopters into a key militant stronghold in remote parts of the Swat valley as the army stepped up efforts to eliminate the top Taliban leadership after killing 751 terrorists in the offensive.

This was the first time troops were airdropped to outflank the Taliban who have fortified houses and buildings,making it difficult for the army to launch a frontal assault on Mingora,the main town of Swat,and other built-up areas. Troops were dropped behind Taliban defence lines at Peochar by helicopters for search and destroy operations,chief military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said. Peochar is the main base of the Taliban in Swat and militant commander,Maulana Fazalullah,is believed to be hiding there.

Abbas said that security forces are focussing on the Taliban leadership,hardcore militants and high-value targets in the current phase of the operation. Airpower is being selectively used against militant hideouts in remote areas to cause maximum damage among the Taliban,he said.

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Over half a million people have fled the region in the last 10 days,the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday.The UNHCR said on Monday,A total of 501,496 displaced people from the influx have now been formally registered by authorities,with UNHCRs help,since May 2.

Troops have killed 751 militants in Dir,Buner and Swat since last month,Abbas said. Twenty-nine security personnel had died and 77 others were injured,he added. He said the operations were progressing successfully and the militants were on the run in all three districts.

Four militants were killed in fighting on Tuesday at Imamdheri,a stronghold of the Taliban . Though troops are advancing towards Mingora,militants still control most parts of it. Security forces were consolidating positions in Buner and Dir. Troops had surrounded Sultanwas,a key village in Buner that had been taken over by Taliban. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the situation in Swat was under control.

Meanwhile,eight militants were killed on Tuesday when missiles fired by a US drone flattened a house in Sara Khwara in South Waziristan,officials said.

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