In a major development, Pakistan has said that its operation against the Taliban in Swat region has 'almost met complete success'.
Pakistan Defence Minister said that the operation against Taliban rebels in Swat towns should be over in the next few days.
Speaking in Singapore, Pakistan's defence secretary predicted the army would retake the whole Swat region in "two to three days", giving hope some of the estimated three million refugees may soon be able to return home.
Meanwhile, the army said it will pursue "hardcore" rebels after recapturing Mingora, the main city in Swat, which had over 300,000 people before the fighting began.
However, corpses lay exposed in the Swat Valley's main town, and residents rushed to mostly empty markets in search of food a day after the military claimed to have retaken the city from the Taliban.
Elsewhere in the northwest region, officials said scores of militants were killed in fighting with soldiers that could signal Pakistan is expanding the offensive from Swat into other parts of the northwestern border region with Afghanistan.
"We have been starving for many days. We have been cooking tree leaves to keep ourselves alive. Thank God it is over," said a resident Afzal Khan. "We need food, we need help. We want peace."
Pakistan launched an offensive against militants in the Swat Valley and surrounding districts last month after they violated the terms of a cease-fire and advanced into a region close to the capital, Islamabad.
The Swat offensive has earned Western praise, as troops have regained large swaths of the region from an estimated 4,000 militants, but several places remain under militant control.
