07 May,2009 11:42 AM IST | | Agencies
Pakistani security forces attacked Taliban fighters on Wednesday killing at least 64 of them, the military said, after the United States called on the government to show its commitment to fighting militancy.
Expanding Taliban influence in nuclear-armed Pakistan has spread alarm at home and abroad and will be a core issue when US President Barack Obama meets his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts in Washington later on Wednesday.
A February peace pact aimed at ending Taliban violence in Swat has collapsed and thousands of people fled from Mingora, the region's main town, on Tuesday after a government official said fighting was expected.
The military launched attacks on the outskirts of Mingora, the main town in Swat and in the nearby district of Buner.
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While a curfew kept people off Mingora's streets, government forces struck militant targets with artillery and helicopters, including an emerald mine the Taliban had taken over.
"There have been two quick offensives by security forces. We knocked the militants out and are moving forward," said a security official.
