Pakistan Battles for Key City

The Pakistani military announced on Saturday that its troops were on the offense in Mingora, the largest city in the contested Swat Valley as part of an effort to win the strategically vital region back from the Taliban. Pakistan's Army says seventeen militants have been killed in the last 24 hours. The New York Times explains, "The fight in Mingora is being seen as a test of the ability of the Pakistani military to defeat the Taliban in Swat." While previous Swat Valley clashes have been in rural mountainous regions, "Mingora could prove to be the toughest challenge as militants have ensconced themselves in urban neighborhoods, where they command the rooftops of houses and buildings." Though many fled the city when the Taliban first seized it earlier this month, an estimated 10,000 remaining civilians constrains the military's ability to use aerial strikes and artillery.