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2009-05-11 08:39:56
MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani aircraft bombed Taliban positions in Swat on Friday, a day after the prime minister ordered wigs the military to eliminate terrorists and on the heels of a commitment to the United States to fight extremists.
Helicopter gunships, fighters and troops were all involved in operations in Swat, and up to 12 militants were killed after as many as 55 were killed the previous day, Major Nasir Khan, a military spokesman in Swat, said by telephone.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had said in a televised address late on Thursday that militants were trying to hold the country hostage at gunpoint.
"In order to restore honor and dignity of our homeland and to protect the people, the armed forces have been called in to eliminate the militants and terrorists," he said, wigs setting the stage for a major offensive against Taliban fighters battling security forces in Swat.
The struggle in the scenic northwestern valley 130 km (80 miles) from Islamabad and a former center for tourism has become a test of Pakistan's resolve to fight a growing Taliban insurgency that has alarmed the United States.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, in talks in Washington this week, assured U.S. President Barack Obama of Islamabad's commitment to defeating al Qaeda and its allies.
