Miscreants cause civilian casualties in Swat battle
Pakistani forces have killed as many as 200 Taliban militants in the past day in the Swat and Shangla areas, the military said Sunday.While it is still not clear how successful the Pakistan army military campaign is going, they are clearly doing better at the information level in placing blame on the Taliban for civilian casualties.CNN could not verify the account, because journalists are barred from the region.
The military blamed the Taliban for injuring civilians as the offensive entered its third week.
"Indiscriminate mortar firing and planting of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in the streets and roads by the miscreants in the populated areas of village Thana, Malakand and Mingora, resulted into civilian casualties," the military said in a statement.
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The military eased a curfew on the region, allowing civilians to flee the fighting between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. (7 p.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday EDT).
The United Nations refugee agency warned Friday of a "massive displacement" of civilians as the military wages its campaign with helicopter gunships, tanks and artillery.
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At least two soldiers were killed Sunday, and another died of wounds he suffered on Friday, the military statement said.
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The Taliban are using the same tactics they have used in Afghanistan, but the Pakistan spokesman has been much better that US spokesmen at attributing the blame for civilian casualties. That is why the Taliban go a few days lead time with their claim that the US had bombed civilians before a semi effective response was mounted.
The story also mentions the refugees. These are mainly the result of people trying to avoid being used as human shields by the Taliban. That they are going toward government lines and not Taliban lines suggest where they think they will be safest.
BTW, I really like the Pakistan use of the word "miscreants" to identify the Taliban enemy. It is a nice sophisticated insult.
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