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Islamabad:
The Pakistani army on Friday shelled Taliban hideouts across the Swat valley and claimed to have "tightened the noose" around the militants, even as local tribesmen formed militias in several areas in the restive region to take on the insurgents.
"The noose is tightening around them. Their routes of escape have been cut off," Maj Gen Sajjad Ghani, who is heading operations in the upper part of Swat valley, said.
"It's just a question of time before (Taliban leaders) are eliminated," he told a group of visiting journalists.
The military officer also said tribesmen in Kalam and Dir districts had raised "lashkars" or militias to confront the Taliban. "They are resolutely defending against the advance of the Taliban," he said.
Several people were killed in a clash between armed militia members and the Taliban in Kalam yesterday. Reports said the Taliban also agreed to pull out of some parts of Dir district, located west of Swat, following negotiations with a jirga of tribal elders.
The Taliban reportedly asked the people to cooperate with them as they are trying to implement Shariah or Islamic law but the jirga said the presence of the militants had created problems for local residents.
Troops shelled militant positions in Kambar, Takhtaband, Shamozai, Matta and Char Bagh in Swat though there was no official word on fresh casualties.
"The noose is tightening around them. Their routes of escape have been cut off," Maj Gen Sajjad Ghani, who is heading operations in the upper part of Swat valley, said.
"It's just a question of time before (Taliban leaders) are eliminated," he told a group of visiting journalists.
The military officer also said tribesmen in Kalam and Dir districts had raised "lashkars" or militias to confront the Taliban. "They are resolutely defending against the advance of the Taliban," he said.
Several people were killed in a clash between armed militia members and the Taliban in Kalam yesterday. Reports said the Taliban also agreed to pull out of some parts of Dir district, located west of Swat, following negotiations with a jirga of tribal elders.
The Taliban reportedly asked the people to cooperate with them as they are trying to implement Shariah or Islamic law but the jirga said the presence of the militants had created problems for local residents.
Troops shelled militant positions in Kambar, Takhtaband, Shamozai, Matta and Char Bagh in Swat though there was no official word on fresh casualties.
