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| 16 Taliban among 35 killed in fresh Swat fighting |
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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thousands flee ahead of Army operation
By Mushtaq Yusufzai & Musa Khankhel
PESHAWAR/MINGORA: As thirty-five more persons including 16 Taliban and seven soldiers were killed in fresh clashes between the security forces and militants thousands of people fled the troubled areas in Swat on Monday.
Thousands of people started fleeing their villages in Kabal tehsil on Monday after announcements were made by security forces asking them to leave the area, as the army was set to launch a massive drive against what it called terrorists hiding there.
Residents in restive Kabal subdivision and its adjoining areas told The News that thousands of people left their homes for safe areas downtowns after announcements were made from military camp in Kabal Rest House and villages in government control asking locals to leave their homes and hearths as soon as possible as security forces were all set to launch a huge military operation against 'miscreants' hiding in residential areas.
Officials of the district administration, who have now been paralysed, told The News on condition of anonymity that over 500,000 people of the once peaceful scenic valley have so far fled the region. Majority of them shifted downtowns mostly to Malakand Agency, Mardan, Charsadda, Nowshera, Peshawar and Islamabad.
A large number of residents were seen leaving their homes in Kabal subdivision and its adjoining localities after Monday's threatening announcements by the government. Some of the families were seen walking from Kabal to Kanju on the main road due to lack of transportation.
Sources told The News that the army shifted heavy weapons to the troubled region which panicked the already scared people of the valley. Majority of the residents felt that when the government was to threaten them to leave their towns it should have at least made transportation arrangements for them so that they could have easily shifted their families and taken necessary items along.
The government had set up a tented camp for the displaced families near Barikot but a few shifted there earlier returned to their homes for lack of basic facilities. The displaced people have been demanding arrangements for their families either at the nearby Grassy Ground known as Swat Stadium or the Farm Ground near Mingora.
Interestingly, militants repeatedly made similar announcements and asked people not to leave their homes as they arranged suicide bombers in case security forces came out of their bases to attack them.
Top military spokesman and Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Waheed Arshad when reached on telephone, told The News that since militants whom he referred to as "robbers" and "dacoits" were hiding in residential areas the locals were advised to either expel them from their towns or themselves shift to other places so that they do not suffer in case of military action.
He said militants' hideouts in both the districts were targeted by gunship helicopters, mortar and artillery shells which caused heavy losses to the militants but since fighting was still continuing there he could not receive actual death toll suffered by the militants.
He however denied any losses suffered by the security force in both Swat and Shangla districts. Gen Waheed said gunship choppers in the evening destroyed two compounds of militants in Kooza Bandai area near Kabal, set up in residential area. However, no report of casualties was immediately available. Credible reports said 12 persons were killed and 15 others injured when mortar shells fired by the security forces hit residential areas in Hazara village of Kabal tehsil. Also unknown people hurled a hand grenade at a local police station in Kabal which the militants renamed as Taliban Police Station following its capture recently, but caused no loss to life.
Also, suspected militants kidnapped three local residents Niamat Ali Khan, Mukhtiar Khan and Haider Khan and shifted them to undisclosed location. One of them Mukhtiar Khan is reportedly the son of prominent figure of Shakardara and President Matta Transporters Association Muzaffar Ali Khan.
On the other hand, security forces backed by gunship helicopters continued pounding suspected hideouts of militants in Swat and neighbouring Shangla districts in which, military authorities said a number of "miscreants" were killed and injured. The security forces also fired artillery and mortar shells on militants' positions in Kot, Charbagh and Kabal areas.
A school building was reportedly damaged in Charbagh in the shelling but it caused no human loss as all educational institutions and government departments were closed after militants took over control of the four subdivisions almost a month ago.
Reports from Shangla said the army and militants exchanged heavy fire at Karora. As a result 16 Taliban and seven soldiers were killed. Both sides, however, denied their losses. The Army succeeded in pushing the militants from Belay Baba towards Alpuri and its adjacent mountains, where sporadic clashes took place between the security forces and militants for the past five days.
Local residents told The News that militants shifted their injured to the District Headquarters Hospital Alpuri Monday from Belay Baba. It may be recalled that militants after taking over Alpuri occupied all government offices including the district hospital from where doctors and other staff along with the admitted patients disappeared two days ahead of the militants' arrival.
Local residents said militants brought their own health experts to treat their injured fighters. Also, the residents complained of shortage of food items and other necessary goods following the closure of all roads linking the district with Swat and Battagram six days ago. People in Shangla said 40 percent residents of the troubled areas including Belay Baba, areas from Karora to Chakesar, Thakot and Bisham were forced to migrate.
"Those still staying there either cannot afford transportation or are aged or sick," remarked a local villager while talking to this scribe on telephone from Bisham. He said security forces targeted militants' positions in Raneesar, Tandarsar, Belay Baba, Dherai and Pagorai areas, but there were no details of losses. Also, he said some of the mortar shells fell in the dense forests in Puran, which caused fire in the jungle. "The fire has now engulfed an area of 10 kilometres. Flames could be seen from distant areas," said Noor Shah Alam, a local resident.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
