Pakistan Army: Two militant commanders killed in Swat district

Oct 5, 2008, 12:37 GMT

Islamabad - The Pakistani army said it killed two senior militant commanders in the troubled Swat mountain district on Sunday.

Amir Zeb and another rebel leader identified by the single name of Ayub were gunned down during a search operation in the Sambat area of Swat's Matta sub-district, said military spokesman Major Murad Khan.

Pakistani military troops also blew up the rebel's hideout during the successful operation, which came after an attack on a convoy of security forces in the area. No government casualties were reported in the blitz.

Government forces have been battling militant supporters of firebrand pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah since October 2007 when the rebels launched an armed struggle to impose self-defined Islamic laws on the region.

Fazlullah, who has apparently gone underground to escape the offensive, used an illegal FM radio signal to incite a rebellion and to give calls for men not to shave their beards and for girls not to be sent to school.

Swat was until last year a popular tourist destination with its serene settings and the country's only ski resort, which has now been blown up by the insurgents.

The Swat valley saw a brief lull in the fighting earlier this year when a new democratic government initiated peace talks with Fazlullah's men. When the truce did not hold, militants relaunched roadside attacks and suicide bombing campaigns against the army within weeks.

The rebels have also destroyed several government buildings, including girls' schools, a gas installation and a grid station, leaving most parts of the Swat district without electricity.

The cut in power also led to the suspension of supplies of potable water to different towns, forcing residents to turn to wells and underground sources. According to media reports, outbreaks of cholera and gastroenteritis through untreated water have afflicted nearly 2,000 people.