Pakistani army kills more than 140 militants

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-09-2009 09:31

The Pakistani army has attacked suspected militant positions in the Taliban-controlled northwestern Swat valley area.

The army said more than 140 militants were killed. And, United Nations figures show that nearly half a million Pakistani civilians seek to flee the area.

A Pakistani army soldier stands guard on a road leading to Pakistan's troubled valley of Swat where government security forces are fighting with Taliban militants, in Mardan near Peshawar, Pakistan Wednesday, May 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

On Friday, Pakistani jets screamed over Taliban-controlled towns and bombed suspected militant positions.

Military operations were taking place in three districts that stretch over some 1,000 square kilometres.

Major-General Athar Abbas, Pakistan's Military Spokesman, said, "On the directive of the government, the army is now engaged in a full-scale operation to eliminate militants, miscreants and anti-state elements from Swat. They are on the run and trying to block the exodus of civilians from the area. During the last 24 hours approximately over 140 militants have been killed in different areas."

Much of the fighting has been in Swat Valley's main city of Mingora....a militant hub that was home to about 360-thousand people before the insurgency two years ago.

Many of them have fled the city, but tens of thousands remain.

Some said the Taliban prevented them from leaving and used them as human shields to discourage the Pakistani army from using force.

According to the United Nations figures, half a million people have either already left the Swat Valley and nearby districts or want to leave but can't because of the fighting.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei