By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistani security forces Wednesday took control of a town in the restive swat valley after elders brokered a deal for Taliban withdrawal, locals said.
Pakistan army has denied any deal with the militants and said that local elders were in dialogue with the militants.
Taliban withdrew from Koza Bandai village, paving the way for troops to take control after heavy fighting in recent days.
An army spokesman in Mingora, a major city in Swat, confirmed the troops control over the village and said the people ‘heavily garlanded the personnel of security forces with flower petals upon their entrance in the area after 14 days successful operation against militants’.
“The security forces have taken full control of the Koza Bandai area and have started cleaning the land mines and defusing explosive materials, ” In-charge the army’s information department in Swat Col Nadeem told media men.
“The area has been purged of the militants as the security forces entered the area at around 10 a.m. Wednesday morning along with the members of the peace committees,” he maintained.
Member of the peace jirga or council Inamur Rehman told mediamen on this occasion in Swat that three peace committees comprising eight members each were constituted for the purpose to ensure peace in the area.
The Security Forces booked four suspected persons accused for detonating a bridge in Khawzakhela area of Swat district, official sources said Wednesday.
The security forces during cordon and search operation arrested four suspected persons and shifted them to unknown location.
The sources claimed that lethal weapons and ammunition recovered from the possession of outlaws.
The security forces have further tightened security in restive areas in wake of suicide car bombing on check post at Totano Bandai area in Swat on Tuesday night.