ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR, 15 November 2007 — Pakistani gunship helicopters and artillery pounded pro-Taleban militant hide-outs in a troubled northwestern valley yesterday, killing at least 33 insurgents as followers of a pro-Taleban cleric took control of another town. Two civilians and two soldiers were also killed.

The army said they struck rebel dens in different areas of Swat, a former tourist spot that has been partly overrun by followers of a hard-line cleric calling for the imposition of Shariah law.

“Helicopters were used in the operation. They shelled known militant positions on hill tops,” chief military spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad told AFP.

“Troops have been deployed in the area and will be moved when needed.” A military statement said artillery was also used.

Six militants were killed and a large number injured in the Shangla area of the scenic valley and 10 others were killed in separate incidents, Arshad said. Nineteen people were killed in clashes later. Troops also arrested four militants carrying radio sets and grenades, Arshad said.

“They are hard-core elements who were arrested after their messages were intercepted. We are investigating further their links,” he added.

Unrest erupted in Swat in July when Fazlullah launched his campaign.

Fazlullah is nicknamed “Mullah Radio” because he runs a pirate FM radio station that calls for a holy war on government forces.

Officials and witnesses said last week that the rebels had taken control of around two-thirds of the valley. News reports said yesterday Fazlullah’s men took control of another town. Another report said militants targeted an army convoy with an explosive device in the Aman Darra area, and there were reports of five to seven soldiers being killed, the Dawn news channel reported.

About 400 armed militants reportedly took control of Alpurai, a town in the valley, which lies about 160 kilometers northwest of the capital, Islamabad.

Militants drove into Alpurai Tuesday night in more than a dozen pickup trucks and “within no time succeeded in securing control of the town,” the newspaper said, citing witnesses.

Militants seized nearly all government offices in the town, including the police headquarters and the office of the top government administrator for Shangla, the district of which Alpurai is the main town, the report said. Arshad confirmed the presence of militants in Alpurai.

“They are there in Shangla. We are trying to know the details, how many people they are and what is the situation on the ground,” Arshad said.

In an attempt to “check the movement of miscreants,” authorities imposed a curfew on Swat and the nearby district of Malakand late Tuesday, Arshad said.

Armed supporters of Fazlullah have gained control of much of the area in Swat. Violence in Swat has left scores of militants and government forces dead and President Gen. Pervez Musharraf cites the deteriorating situation to justify the state of emergency he declared on Nov. 3.

The army said Tuesday that its helicopters attacked suspected militant hide-outs in Swat, killing four men and destroying a munitions dump.