Military helicopters and warplanes were pounding suspected Taliban positions in Swat on Thursday.
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| Residents of Mingora capital of Pakistani troubled Swat valley flee, 07 May 2009 |
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned Thursday that the humanitarian crisis in Northwest Frontier Province is intensifying. It said it has received unconfirmed reports that as many as 500,000 Pakistanis have been displaced by conflict in Dir, Swat and nearby Buner districts.
And a spokesman for Sufi Muhammad, the radical Muslim cleric who helped negotiate the short-lived cease-fire, said one of Muhammad's sons was killed Thursday when a bomb or artillery shell hit his house in Dir district.
The Pakistani military says more than 80 Taliban militants and two soldiers were killed in Swat and Buner on Wednesday.
There also were reports of civilian casualties in the fighting, but no numbers were available.
It is the deadliest outbreak of fighting since local officials signed a controversial peace deal with Islamist militants in Malakand Division in February.
A provincial official - Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain - said the militants violated the deal that required them to disarm in exchange for the establishment of strict Islamic law (Sharia) in Malakand. The official also accused the militants of trying to set up a parallel government in the area.
Pakistan's army has not said whether it is planning an all-out assault on Swat. But many in Pakistan believe extremist activities by the Taliban appear to have reduced public support for its cause. An army spokesman says that will help the military in case a new offensive is launched in Swat.
voanews.com
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