Pakistan army kills four Islamic militants in north-west valley

Nov 13, 2007, 11:36 GMT

Islamabad - At least four pro-Taliban militants were killed on Tuesday as helicopter gunships continued to pound their positions for the second consecutive day in Pakistan's volatile north-western valley of Swat, officials said.

Government forces destroyed four bunkers of the militants in Sambat area in the Swat district, 160 kilometres from the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) capital Peshawar, the military said.

'According to the information that we have received from the local sources, four insurgents were killed in the strike,' army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

'We have also destroyed a check post the militants had set up to tax the people in a nearby area,' he added. Five people were wounded in the incident.

The scenic valley has experienced heavy clashes between security forces and militants after the government deployed more than 2,500 paramilitary troops in late October to counter the threat by armed supporters of a radical cleric, Maulana Fazlullah.

He has demanded imposition of Taliban rule in the region and instigated people through an illegal radio station to raise an Islamic rebellion.

After around a week-long unannounced ceasefire the government forces resumed operations on Monday.

President general Pervez Musharraf has cited the situation in Swat as one of the reasons behind his decision to proclaim state of emergency on November 3.

In his first press conference since the imposition of emergency rule, Musharraf on Sunday noted that the militants' advance 'is spreading to the settled districts ... we have to fight them there.'