Helicopter gunships pounded militant positions in Swat Valley on Monday for the first time since a state of emergency was declared, officials said. Two militants were wounded when the choppers fired on rebel bunkers in the scenic Swat Valley, where followers of a pro-Taliban cleric are leading a campaign for Islamic Sharia law, a hospital and a rebel spokesman said.
The Pak Army on Monday officially took over operations against militants in Swat, a former tourist hotspot, after orders by President Pervez Musharraf to crack down.
It also followed calls by opposition leader Benazir Bhutto for a military offensive to tackle the extremists. A police official speaking on condition of anonymity said the helicopters attacked militant positions in the hills above the town of Matta after gunshots were fired at the choppers.
"Two injured were brought to hospital. We did not fire at helicopters nor do we have anti-aircraft weapons to do so - if we had them we would definitely use them," militant spokesman Sirajuddin told AFP. It was the first major clash in Swat since Musharraf imposed emergency rule on November 3, citing rising Islamic militancy and judicial meddling.
He said on Sunday that emergency rule gave the government powers to place the army in charge of tackling the situation in Swat. Operations there were previously led by the paramilitary Frontier Corps. "The army has assumed the lead role in Swat from today onward," chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told a private TV channel earlier on Monday.