Pak troops capture two major towns in Swat valley

Pakistani troops on Wednesday stormed into two more major towns in the restive Swat valley, but six weeks into the offensive top commanders warn that though big towns could be wrested from Taliban within days, it would take another two to three months to totally defeat the militants.

Security forces took control of Charbagh, a key base of the Taliban, and also secured the area around the shrine of Pir Baba in nearby Buner district as three militants and a soldier were killed in fighting over the past 24 hours, the military said in a statement.

Brig Fayaz, an army commander leading operations in Buner, told visiting reporters that the revered shrine of Pir Baba was secured without a single shot being fired. As he took the journalists around the area, artillery targeted militant hideouts on nearby mountains.

Troops consolidated their positions in Charbagh, on which the army had last week launched an assault after securing Mingora, the main city in Swat district.

Soldiers recovered a huge cache of explosives and improvised explosive devices during a search of a madrassa or seminary in the area.

"The Army will clear out big cities and towns within two-three days," Chief Military Spokesman Maj. Gen. Akthar Abbas said. But, he said Taliban were proving elusive as they melted into the forest avoiding pitched battles.