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| India-Pakistan |
| Residents flee Swat valley as PM vows peace |
| 2009-02-02 |
| Pakistan's prime minister promised a quick solution to the brutal insurgency in the country's former tourism haven Sunday, even as hundreds of residents fled toward newly opened relief camps. Carrying the sick and elderly on their backs, residents of the Swat Valley hurried from fighting that left at least 16 suspected militants, one soldier and 19 civilians dead. Residents say militants now control most of the northwestern valley, despite an army operation that began more than a year ago. They valley is less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the Pakistani capital and lies outside the tribal regions along the Afghan border where the Taliban and al-Qaida have long had strongholds. Militant gains in recent months have prompted worries that the violence will spread to other parts of Pakistan -- and that the government lacks the power to stop it. The military recently vowed to increase its efforts in the valley, where Taliban fighters have set up Islamic courts, destroyed scores of girls' schools and used beheadings to terrorize the population. The premier tried to dispel fears. "As far as Swat, we have the ability and will to bring peace there," Yousuf Raza Gilani told reporters. "We are all concerned about the life and property of the people. We are also concerned about those who are migrating." Military action is not the only solution, he said _ an indication that negotiations may still be an option despite a failed peace deal. Security officials have blamed the mid-2008 peace deal with the Swat Taliban for the current chaos, saying the pause let the insurgents regroup. The U.S. has criticized Pakistani government attempts to strike deals with militants for the same reason. |
| Posted by:Fred |