Pak Army pushes Taliban out of Peochar Valley in Swat, claims ISPR

September 4th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - The Pakistan Army is determined chase the Taliban till the very end, and would continue its offensive against the extremists until they are rooted out from the country, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani has said. Speaking at a function after inaugurating a rehabilitation centre for young Taliban recruits, General Kayani said 'Operation Rah-e-Rast', being carried out in the Swat and the Malakand Divisions, has broken the back of extremists.

July 28th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Swat Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah aka Radio Mullah is injured and is hiding in the terrains of Peochar along with his close aides, Interior Advisor Rehman Malik has said. Malik claimed the security forces have surrounded Fazlullah and his accomplices, and that they would be arrested soon.

July 27th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - At least 31 militants were killed and 28 others, including a Taliban commander, were arrested in separate operations in northwestern Pakistan, according to a media report Monday. According to the Pakistan Army's Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR), 11 militants were killed and 28 others, including the wanted commander identified as Kabir, were arrested during a search operation in Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Geo TV reported.

July 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani security forces have killed at least 114 Taliban militants in two separate operation in Lower Dir and Swat regions, while three army officials have also lost their lives, a private TV channel has claimed. During the operation, troops managed to destroyed many bunkers and hideouts in Lower Dir, after they targeted the headquarters.

July 16th, 2009 Peshawar, July (ANI): The Pakistan Army has killed wanted militant leader, Abu Laith and 13 other Taliban insurgents in the ongoing Swat offensive. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Laith was killed during a search operation in the Peuchar region of the valley.

July 1st, 2009 RAWALPINDI - The Taliban has slaughtered 18 of their own injured men in the Biha valley, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) has claimed. According to a daily update of the ISPR, the Taliban killed the injured associates as they were unable to move while the Army continued to advance further in their stronghold.

June 19th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar has said that the military offensive in the Swat Valley against the Taliban and other extremists is nearing its end, as the security forces have accomplished their mission. Mukhtar said the government has achieved its target by sanitizing the militants, and ensuring that they do not return to the valley once again.

June 13th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Army has reportedly killed 60 more Taliban insurgents in the past 24 hours, during its whirlwind offensive in Malakand and other different regions of the Swat Valley. "39 terrorists were killed in various areas of Malakand.

May 31st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - After claiming to have regained hold of the Swat Valley's main town, Mingora, the Pakistan Army has said that is now preparing to flush out 'hardcore' Taliban commanders from the region. "We are going after the leadership and we are going to take care of all the militants in the valley," the ISPR spokesperson Major General Athar Abbas said.

May 26th, 2009 LONDON - The Pakistan Army has claimed that its mission against the Taliban and other extremist groups in the Swat Valley is near accomplishment, as the Taliban has virtually announced a one-sided ceasefire. With the Army intensifying its operation in Mingora and other parts of the Valley, and engaging in severe street fighting, the Taliban has suffered a series of setbacks over the past week.

May 12th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan security forces on Tuesday claimed to have killed at least 28 more Taliban operatives, at a key militant stronghold in the Swat Valley of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). According to The News, the army opened up a new front in the suspected stronghold of Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah and his top lieutenants in the northern mountains of the region.

May 5th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - Defying the Swat peace accord and calls for truce, the Taliban have now established its control over the largest city of the Swat Valley, Mingora. "The city is in complete control of the Taliban, who say they are taking positions to guard the local population," the Daily Times quoted a local resident, as saying.

May 5th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - With the Taliban reportedly establishing control over Mingora, the largest city in the Swat Valley, government has asked residents to vacate the region. The District Coordination Officer (DCO) of Swat urged civilians to leave the region and migrate to safer places, the Dawn reports.

April 26th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Athar Abbas has said that the decision to initiate a military offensive against the Taliban rests with the political leadership of the country. Responding to allegations that the army lacks will and capaability to take on the might of the Taliban, General Abbas said that the army certainly has the will to thwart any further advancement of the insurgents.

April 25th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Taliban stopped a convoy of security forces from entering their stronghold in Swat Valley on Saturday. A News Network International (NNI) news agency report said seven army trucks were stopped by armed Taliban at Qamabr, a small town of Mingora, the main city in the Swat Valley of North West Frontier Province.