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PESHAWAR Armed residents confronted a group of Taliban fighters and foiled their attempt to sneak into Kalam, a town in Pakistans Swat valley, an official said Thursday.
The attempted infiltration indicated militants were feeling pinched by the army and were seeking a new shelter, while the rare local resistance Wednesday suggested growing public confidence in the anti-Taliban operation.
Deputy Mayor Shamshad Haqqani told The Associated Press about 50 Taliban fighters tried to enter his town, but that armed residents quickly gathered to fight them off. They captured eight militants amid a shootout and were expecting another attack, Haqqani said.
We will not allow Taliban to come here, he said. Kalam has about 50,000 residents.
The military said Wednesday its troops had killed 80 militants and cleared Sultanwas, a town south of the valley in Buner district.
Troops launched the latest offensive last month after Taliban militants based in Swat pushed into Buner, bringing them within 60 miles of Islamabad.
The army claims it has killed more than 1,000 militants and won back swaths of territory from militants in Swat, a valley whose scenery and cooler climate once drew hordes of summer tourists.
However, authorities say the clashes have prompted about 1.9 million people to flee their homes, creating a humanitarian crisis that could sap Pakistani enthusiasm for the effort if it drags on or is extended to other areas.
Pakistani generals have refused to predict how long it will take to eliminate militants from Swat.
However, Rear Adm. Michael A. LeFever, the top US military official at the US Embassy in Islamabad, forecast Wednesday that between 200,000 and 250,000 will be living in refugee camps at least until the end of 2009.
