Troops launched artillery barrages on suspected militant hideouts in the northwestern Swat valley, killing 20 rebels and injuring up to 15, AFP quoted the army as saying on Tuesday. “According to our information, 20 militants were killed while 10-15 were injured on Monday night,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP. He said the army also used gunship helicopters to purge the areas of militants. “The situation is now well under control and people are returning to their homes in these areas,” Arshad added.The army said on Tuesday that it killed or wounded a “large number” of militants in an artillery barrage in Swat, AP reported. The attack was part of an operation against die-hard followers of a pro-Taliban cleric who have been battling security forces in the scenic Swat valley since July. The army said in a statement that it fired artillery at militant positions near the towns of Piochar and Loe Namal on Monday night.
It also said security forces detained a man in the town of Khwazakhela for allegedly recruiting, training and harboring suicide bombers. It said the suspect was affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammed, a banned Islamic extremist group also involved in fighting Indian forces in the disputed Kashmir region. A cache of arms, bombs, fake passports and an FM radio transmitter were seized at his house, it said.
Fazlullah’s arrest soon: Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier (r) Javed Iqbal Cheema said security forces had cleared Swat region of extremists and militants. “Maulana Fazlullah and his followers will be arrested soon,” a Daily Times staff report quoted him as saying. He said people of Swat had joined hands with the army and security agencies in their fight against Fazlullah and his followers.