MINGORA, Nov 30: Security forces claimed to have dislodged militants from some of their strongholds on Friday as Maulana Fazlullah confirmed the killing of his commander for Matta.

According to the ISPR, the security forces also arrested 11 militants, two of them foreigners, at the Kanju checkpost.

Throughout the day, the security forces continued to target different areas in Matta, Usmani Sar, Peuchar, Khwazakhela, Langar and Sarigram.

The people of Bara Banda, once a stronghold of Maulana Fazlullah, said police checkposts had been established there and in Ninguali where 40 policemen had been deputed.

Fazlullah, meanwhile, asked the people to return to their homes, saying “we have left our positions for your sake because the security forces have been killing innocent people in desperation”.

“Our morale is high and we will teach a lesson to soldiers,” he said, claiming that political leaders of Swat had left the people in the lurch and he was now struggling for their rights.

Speaking on his FM radio from an undisclosed location on Friday night, he said Khan Khitab, the commander for Matta, had been killed by troops and not by local people as claimed by security forces.

He succeeded in relaying his speech almost a week after the security forces had blocked his FM station and started their own stations. His speech was in progress when the security forces again blocked his radio station and started relaying their own programmes.

Police have yet to resume their duties in police stations vacated by militants in Khwazakhela, Matta, Madyan and Bahrain.

The Mingora police have arrested a driver of a government hospital ambulance on the charge of helping some militants in their escape.

A police official told Dawn that arms had been seized from the home of the driver, Umer Khan, which he had allegedly taken from the militants. During clashes, he had transported the militants in his ambulance to a safe location.

Nineteen policemen have been dismissed from service by district police officer Waqif Khan on the charge of supporting Fazlullah.