Troops secure 8 Mingora squares

ISLAMABAD - In the ongoing Rah-e-Rast military operation in Swat region, the security forces have made tactical gains by retaking partial control of Mingora city, securing strategic Qambar town and other important areas during last 24 hours, sources said on Sunday.
By Sunday, officials said several important intersections and squares in Mingora were under their control, including the notorious Green Square where the Taliban reportedly carried out beheadings late last year.
The ground assault on Mingora, a city with an estimated population of about 300,000 - many of whom have fled - marks the most critical part of the militarys action against the Taliban in the picturesque Swat Valley.
They also said that security forces had killed 10 militants, arrested 14 others during the said period while three security personnel embraced shahadat and six others sustained injuries.
According to details, the security forces had secured Wattakai Chowk, Nawakilli Chowk, Nishat Chowk, Sirafe Chowk, Gulshan Chowk, Green Chowk, Haji Baba Chowk and Sohrab Chowk in Mingora that had given freedom of movement to the security forces in the city.
The sources said that five terrorists had been killed in different parts of the city and 14 others had been arrested.
They further said that the security forces during their movement had come across 12 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and defused four of them. They also said intense fighting was going on in Mingora city and the terrorists were on the run. The sources also added that Malakand-Kanju Road, previously blocked by terrorists, had been opened now as a convoy of the security forces had moved from Malakand to Kanju. They said that the security forces also raided and killed five terrorists in Malam Jabba.
According to the sources, the security forces have entered Peochar village after surrounding the valley. They said a huge cache of arms, including a factory used for making IEDs, has been recovered from militants hideouts.
Agencies add: The military says more than 1,100 militants and 66 soldiers have died in the onslaught launched in the districts of Lower Dir on April 26, Buner on April 28 and Swat on May 8, but those tolls cannot be confirmed independently. Another military official told AFP that soldiers remained locked in street battles in Mingora, where Taliban insurgents have in recent weeks been patrolling with guns and rocket-launchers, according to terrified residents.
Attempts to contact local residents by telephone were impossible with both mobile and landline networks down.
Although the military has bases inside Mingora, the town has been under effective Taliban control. As the administrative and business hub of the district, its capture is essential for the Army to declare victory in Swat.
Mingora is vital for both the Taliban and the troops. The Taliban have put in lot of assets there. They dug in there, said security analyst Ikram Sehgal.
It is the capital of Swat and it has a psychological value. A victory there will be big boost for the security force.
Fears grow, however, for between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians that the military say are still trapped in Mingora, cowering behind closed doors with dwindling supplies of food and no access to medical care.