Pakistan military operation against Taliban

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-30-2009 10:52

Pakistani security forces have taken the main town in the strategically important Buner Valley. The military dropped commandos by helicopter behind Taliban lines, killing more than 50 militants in two days.

Pakistani army troops on patrol in the Umar Abad area  outside the troubled Buner district. Pakistan said  Wednesday its troops seized control of the main town in  the northwest region of Buner after fierce fighting with the Taliban in which more than 50 militants were killed. (AFP/Tariq Mahmood)

A military spokesman said that one member of the security forces also died in the fighting. The military started its operation Tuesday to force the Taliban back into the Swat Valley. The militants made their advance earlier this month into Buner, just 100 kilometers northwest of Islamabad, raising fears of further instability in the country.

Pakistan is under intense US pressure to take a tougher line against insurgents expanding from strongholds along the Afghan border, where top al-Qaida leaders may also be hiding.

Editor:Zhang Yun