Pakistani army retakes Swat town

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban have fled the Pakistani army’s advance on the main town in the Swat Valley, delivering the military a strategic prize in its offensive against militants in the country’s northwest, commanders said Saturday.

Taliban fighters had dug themselves into bunkers built into hotels and government buildings in Mingora, and initially offered stiff resistance as troops first closed roads leading to the town then began moving in last week, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said.

Aid was being distributed to some of the estimated 20,000 who were trapped in Mingora, and water and gas supplies were being restored. But Abbas said it would be at least two weeks before power is switched back on, and refugees were not yet being encouraged to start returning to their homes.

About 3 million people have fled the fighting in Swat, and the exodus has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis.

Abbas said an undetermined number of militant fighters were able to escape Mingora despite the military’s having it surrounded, raising the prospect that they could return to the fight elsewhere.

The military launched a major offensive about one month ago in the Swat Valley and neighboring areas to oust Taliban militants who had been extending their control over the northwestern region near the border with Afghanistan.