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More than half of Mingora cleared, 29 Taliban killed : Fierce fighting for Kabal on

* Military spokesman says pockets of ‘hardcore militants’ remain in Swat
* Says 90 percent of Buner has been cleared of Taliban

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Security forces said on Tuesday they had made “considerable progress” in securing Mingora, as fierce fighting continued to wrest back control of Kabal from the Taliban.

“More than half of Mingora is under the army’s control. We have plugged all escape routes for militants,” military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told a press conference, saying pockets of “hardcore militants” remained. He said 29 terrorists had been killed and 14 arrested in the past 24 hours of Operation Rah-e-Rast, adding six soldiers had been martyred and 11 injured.

The spokesman said the Malakand-Qambar-Mingora Road had been reopened and the forces had defused 12 IEDs in Qambar, and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition. The search-and-cordon operation in Peochar was also continuing, and the security forces had cleared Mano Derai of the Taliban, he added. The army has also attained a foothold at Bagh Derai in Shangla, and a jirga of 30 members arrived at Kuz Durshkhela to express their support for an army operation in the area, he said.

Cleared: Gen Abbas said around 90 percent of Buner had been cleared. He said the army was also continuing its relief activities, and had dispatched five trucks of rations to Khawazakhela.

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