Islamabad: Pakistani security forces today targeted militant positions in the restive northwestern Swat valley with artillery after arresting 50 followers of a pro-Taliban cleric, who has been fighting for the imposition of Islamic law in the region.

The local administration has resumed functioning after police forces moved back into most towns and villages of the scenic valley in North West Frontier Province. Radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah's armed followers had been running a parallel government in the area after capturing police stations and government offices.

The militants fled into nearby hills after sustained operations by army troops backed by helicopter gunships and artillery. Fifty militants, including a few foreigners, were arrested over the past 10 days, said military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad.

"Police have established check posts and gone back to police stations in many areas that have been cleared by the military," he said. Militant positions in the hills around Matta, a stronghold of Fazlullah's men, were being targeted with artillery and the operations would continue "for a couple of days", he added.

The local administration and police had also begun functioning in Alpuri, the main town of Shangla district, which too was over-run by the militants last month.

The army is trying to locate militants who had fled from Shangla and were hiding in the hills, Arshad said.

Source : PTI