Up to 70 militants killed in new Swat clashes

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces backed by gunship helicopters killed up to 70 militants in two days of clashes in a northwestern region, the army said Thursday quoting police and paramilitary sources. A ceasefire broke down in the troubled Swat Valley on Wednesday and fresh fighting erupted early Thursday when militants loyal to a hardline pro-Taliban cleric attacked a security checkpost, the army said. "Police and Frontier Constabulary sources have confirmed death of 60 to 70 miscreants," an army statement said. On Wednesday night officials gave a death toll of 20. Top military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said that the latest round of fighting began at 4:30 am when the rebels attacked the checkpoint and law enforcement personnel responded with mortar and small arms fire. "It is going on and helicopters are still engaged by law enforcing agencies," he said. The figures could not be confirmed independently. Pakistan moved 2,500 troops into Swat last week to counter radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah, who is also known as "Mullah Radio" for his speeches on his private radio station, in which he calls for a holy war on the authorities. He and his followers are pushing for the imposition of harsh Islamic Sharia law in the area, which formerly drew tourists from around the world to see its ancient Buddhist heritage. A day after the deployment, 30 people were killed in a bomb attack on a paramilitary vehicle in the region. The violence in Swat has fuelled fears of a spillover from the troubled tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, where 90,000 Pakistani troops are combating Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.