MINGORA, Dec 29: People in the Namal area set a vehicle owned by militants on fire as security forces resumed artillery shelling on militants’ hideouts on Friday night.
Officials said a jirga of elders from Gut Peuchaar and Namal areas had informed the security personnel about the militants’ hideouts in Mingora a few days ago.
The government media centre in Mingora claimed that the militants had fled before security forces reached the area. It said the enraged locals present there burnt the vehicle left behind by militants.
Security forces targeted militants’ hideouts with artillery shelling in Peuchaar, Manja and Totano Banda.
These areas are still under the militants’ control.
PAMPHLETS DISTRIBUTED: A pamphlet purportedly written by an organisation called Tehrik-i-Taliban Swat was distributed in different mosques stating that in the ongoing military operation in Swat, about 782 soldiers had been killed and 965 others injured.
It urged people to stand against the army and launch a ‘holy war’ against soldiers.
The pamphlet described President Pervez Musharraf and the army as agents of the FBI and the CIA.
Meanwhile, the government has announced that the curfew in areas south of Mingora will be relaxed from 7am to 6pm on Sunday. However, there will be no relaxation in areas from Sangota up to Kalam.