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| 'If we lose Taliban war, we'll lose Pak' | | |
Islamabad may 15
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani described the ongoing military operation against the Taliban in Pakistan's northwest as a war for the country's survival that must be won. "This decision (to launch the military operation) was difficult...They (militants) wanted to have a state within state," Gilani said during an interaction with editors and senior representatives of the Pakistani media at the Prime Minister's House.
"If we did not stop them, the country could have gone into danger. If we lose, we will lose the country. It is very important for Pakistan," he said.
Pakistan is waging a war for its sovereignty and survival and the media should dispel despair and create a national resolve against militancy, Gilani said. The premier apprised the media representatives of the situation in Swat and Malakand division and the reasons that led to the government's decision to launch a military operation against the Taliban.
He also briefed them about the government's efforts to care for and rehabilitate thousands of people displaced by the fighting.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani military has released combat footage from the ongoing conflict between the army and Taliban militants.
The Pakistani army says 54 Taliban and nine soldiers have been killed in the northwestern Swat Valley in the past 24 hours.
Pakistani Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas has said that troops were engaged on Thursday (May 14) in intense fighting about six kilometres south of Mingora, the Swat valley's main town.
The military has claimed it has killed over 800 militants in its drive against the Taliban in Buner, Dir and Swat districts of the North West Frontier Province. Security forces have lost over 40 personnel in the operations.
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