Pakistan in Media

The army's chief spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, said at a news conference in this garrison city that 143 extremists had been killed in the previous 24 hours. He said as many as 15,000 soldiers and other security forces were battling about 4,000 fighters, whom he referred to as "miscreants" and "anti-state elements."

Abbas said the military, which has engaged in sporadic fighting in Swat for the past week, is stepping up its actions on the orders of civilian authorities. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani announced on television Thursday night that the army had been ordered to launch a major operation against the extremists, after they refused to disarm despite an agreement with the government.

The army's announcement of a stepped-up assault came amid a continued outpouring of refugees from the conflicted region near the Afghan border. Since early this week, hundreds of thousands of people have been struggling to reach government camps hastily set up in safer districts.

Many of those attempting to flee have been stranded by crude Taliban roadblocks and a lack of transportation. Some refugees told journalists in the region Friday that they had been trapped between the Taliban and the army, or that they had been forced to walk many hours to safety.

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