Pakistani Army ordered to avoid civilian casualties

Pakistan: Pakistan’s army chief ordered his men on Wednesday to ensure civilian casualties are kept to a minimum, even if that meant danger for them, in an offensive against Taliban militants in the Swat valley.

The offensive, launched last week after the United States accused the government of “abdicating” to militants, has broad political and public support.

But that could change if many civilians are killed or if the hundreds of thousands displaced by the fighting suffer unduly. “(Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani) has instructed the army to ensure minimum collateral damage, even at the expense of taking risks, by resorting to precision strikes,” the army said in a statement.

Government aircraft attacked militants in the Peochar valley on Wednesday, military officials said.

Helicopter-borne soldiers swooped into the Taliban stronghold of Peochar, a side valley running northwest off the main Swat valley, on Tuesday.

There was no word on casualties in the latest fighting but a military spokesman said on Tuesday 751 militants had been killed in the offensive while 29 soldiers had been killed and 77 wounded.

ISLAMABAD, Wednesday, Reuters