Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Swat valley on Wednesday questioned the authenticity of the ongoing military operation against Taliban in the valley, saying no Taliban key leader was arrested or killed in the valley so far. Talking to Daily Times, majority of IDPs who fled from military offensive against Taliban and took refuge in government schools of the provincial metropolis, said that the Swat military operation was going to complete in two to three days, but no key leader of Taliban including Swat Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah, spokesman Muslim Khan and naib ameer Shah Doran, etc were arrested or killed in the month-long operation in the valley.
"How Swat IDPs could return to the valley when Taliban key leaders are alive and hiding there? The fear of Taliban would continue to loom over their heads until elimination of their key commanders of the valley," said Najeebullah Khan, a resident of Mingora, who shifted his eight-member family to a government school of Peshawar some 15 days ago.
Khan said that IDPs put their lives in danger and left their homes for safer places. They would not return to their areas until the whole valley was cleared of Taliban including their top leadership as they (Taliban) might regroup and challenge the writ of the government.
Another IDP from Imankot area of Swat, Sultan Mehmood, said that the security forces should clear the valley of Taliban once and for all. "We still have fear of Taliban as their key leadership has not been killed or arrested during the operation," Mehmood went on to add.
About the NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain's confirmation of the death and arrest of second and third-tier leadership of Taliban during the Malakand military operation and hope that their top leadership would also be eliminated soon, he said that in previous military operations, the top Taliban leadership remained unharmed, regrouped in the valley and not only occupied Swat but also expanded their influence to Buner and Lower Dir districts.