40 killed in fighting in NW Pakistan
Sunday, 31 August 2008
MINGORA, (Pakistan), Aug 30 (Reuters): Pakistani forces pounded militant positions in the Swat valley in the northwest Saturday and a military spokesman said nearly 40 insurgents had been killed in the past 24 hours.
Violence has intensified in Pakistan in recent weeks with the military battling militants in three different parts of the northwest, while the militants have responded with bomb attacks on the security forces.
Deteriorating security has coincided with a faltering economy and political upheaval, with the resignation of the unpopular Pervez Musharraf as president last week followed within days by a split in the ruling coalition.
Worry about security and politics has unnerved investors who have sent Pakistani financial markets skidding lower, with the country's main share index falling about 36 per cent this year.
Some of the most intense fighting has been in the Swat Valley, about 150 km (100 miles) northwest of the capital, Islamabad.
Violence has intensified in Pakistan in recent weeks with the military battling militants in three different parts of the northwest, while the militants have responded with bomb attacks on the security forces.
Deteriorating security has coincided with a faltering economy and political upheaval, with the resignation of the unpopular Pervez Musharraf as president last week followed within days by a split in the ruling coalition.
Worry about security and politics has unnerved investors who have sent Pakistani financial markets skidding lower, with the country's main share index falling about 36 per cent this year.
Some of the most intense fighting has been in the Swat Valley, about 150 km (100 miles) northwest of the capital, Islamabad.