Pakistan security forces are near the end of their offensive in the Swat valley, the army said today, with more than 40,000 people on the move before the next phase starts against the Pakistani Taliban's headquarters.
The offensive in Swat, 120km northwest of Islamabad, came after Taliban gains raised fears for the future of nuclear-armed Pakistan, a vital ally for the United States as it strives to defeat al-Qaeda and stabilize Afghanistan.
Nearly 2 million people have fled fighting in the northwest, most since the army pushed into the former tourist valley of Swat in early May, and the United Nations is appealing for $543 million (€391 million) in aid to avert a long-term humanitarian crisis.
"The security forces are in the final phase of eliminating terrorist hide-outs and camps in Swat," chief military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas told a media briefing.
Sporadic clashes were going on as the military cleared the militants' last strongholds in the scenic valley, and 22 militants had been killed in the previous 24 hours, he said.
Pakistan's fragile civilian government, which came to power last year, has the support of most political parties and members of the public for the offensive but risks seeing that evaporate if displaced people are seen to suffer unduly.
Washington, alarmed by Taliban aggression earlier in the year, has been heartened by the military action and will be eager to see similar action against factions, including the Afghan Taliban, who launch attacks into Afghanistan from Pakistani enclaves.
US President Barack Obama's national security adviser, Jim Jones, was travelling to Afghanistan and Pakistan "to follow up on the implementation of our new, comprehensive strategy," spokesman Mike Hammer said. Jones would be visiting India on the same trip, he said.
India also wants to see action against militants based in Pakistan who are involved in an insurgency against Indian forces in its part of the disputed Kashmir region.
In all, 1,592 militants had been killed in the Swat offensive, Mr Abbas said. More than 100 soldiers have been killed, the military says. There has been no independent confirmation of the military's casualty figures.
Reuters