Pakistan army regains control of Swat valley, 220 militants killed
Islamabad - Pakistan's military claimed Wednesday that it had regained control over the restive Swat valley, saying that up to 220 pro-Taliban militants had been killed since capturing large swaths of territory in the region in late October.
'The militants have vacated the Swat area and are now running away towards the western mountains,' chief Army spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said. 'Since military operations started in late October, the military has killed between 215 and 220 militants.'
The offensive began when the government sent additional troops to the scenic valley, only four hours drive from the capital Islamabad, to rein in around 5,000 armed followers of radical Muslim cleric Maulana Fazlullah, who is fighting to impose strict Islamic law.
Fazlullah's armed followers had captured dozens of villages and at least three main towns in Swat, including a police station in Matta, renaming it the 'Taliban Police Station.'
The government of President Pervez Musharraf grew alarmed at the rebels' gains, at the same time it was beset by a political crisis that saw him decree a state of emergency on November 3.
The army used helicopter gunships and artillery to pound rebels positions in the mountains for a month, and used its ground troops in the second phase of the operation, which began last weekend. More than 50 militants were killed in the past four days, the army said.
The firebrand cleric had also urged the local population to carry out suicide attacks against security forces while speaking on a pirate local radio station, which was shut down on Tuesday when government troops seized his headquarters.
Some Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters who fled to the region after US-led forces invaded neighbouring Afghanistan in 2001 were also believed to be aiding Fazlullah's militia.
Army spokesman Arshad said operations of the army and paramilitary units would continue until the rebels were completely flushed out of the area.
He declined to give government casualty figures, but some unconfirmed reports said several dozen troops had died in recent combat.
Muslims converted to Sikhism and were schooled by ultra-radical Granthis(Sikh Mullahs) to fight against Pakistani soldiers for the cause of the Terrorists?? 
