80 militants killed as Pakistani army takes Taliban base

Pakistani soldiers have captured the main Taliban stronghold in a district 100km (60 miles) from the capital in heavy fighting…

Pakistani soldiers have captured the main Taliban stronghold in a district 100km (60 miles) from the capital in heavy fighting in which 80 militants were killed, the military said yesterday.

Fighting in the Swat valley and the neighbouring districts of Buner and Dir has forced about 1.5 million people from their homes in addition to about 550,000 people displaced earlier.

The United States has offered Pakistan $110 million to help the displaced and said it was trying to redress 30 years of “incoherent” US policy toward the country.

The military said security forces had captured the village of Sultanwas in Buner district, where the Taliban had built a stronghold, complete with concrete bunkers.

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“Security forces cleared Sultanwas last night after intense clashes. Reportedly 80 militant terrorists were killed,” military spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas told a briefing. One Pakistani soldier was killed and nine wounded, he said.

Emboldened by a February peace pact, Taliban from Swat moved into Buner in early April, clashing with police and villagers in a drive to impose their rule.

The thrust into an area so close to Islamabad raised alarm both at home and abroad. The United States criticised the February pact, which authorities hoped would bring peace to Swat, as akin to abdicating to the militants.

Pakistani action against militants, especially in areas near the Afghan border in its northwest, is an essential part of US plans to defeat al-Qaeda and bring stability to Afghanistan.

The army attacked militants in Buner and Dir late last month and launched an offensive in Swat on May 8th.

The United Nations has warned of a long-term humanitarian crisis and called for massive aid for the displaced.

The White House said the United States would provide $100 million in humanitarian aid, such as food, tents, radios, generators and other items and that the US defence department would give a further $10 million in unspecified assistance.

“Providing this assistance is not only the right thing to do but we believe it is essential to global security and the security of the United States and we are prepared to do more,” US secretary of state Hillary Clinton told reporters.

She also described the last three decades of US policy toward Pakistan – which would include the eight years of her husband, Bill Clintons, presidency – as “incoherent”.