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The Second Battle of Swat also known as ''Operation Rah-e-Rast'', began in May 2009 and involved the Pakistani Army and Taliban militants in a fight for control of the Swat district of Pakistan. The first Battle of Swat had ended with a peace agreement, widely criticised in the west, that the government had signed with the Taliban in February 2009. However, by late April 2009 government troops and the Taliban began to clash once again, and in May the government launched military operations throughout the district and elsewhere to oppose the Taliban. ==Battle for Mingora City== Fighting commenced in the largest and main city of the district, Mingora, between elite Pakistani commandos and about 300 Taliban militants positioned in deserted buildings and continued until 23 May 2009, when a major Pakistani offensive retook much of the city. Amid heavy street fighting, the Pakistani Army captured large parts of the city, including several key intersections and squares. On 24 May, the Pakistani Army announced it had retaken large parts of Mingora. Major-General Athar Abbas, the Army's chief military spokesman, announced that "we want to eliminate the entire () leadership". Pakistani soldiers continued to engage the Taliban in street fighting and search buildings for Taliban fighters. Pakistani troops also retook several nearby towns previously under Taliban control. On 30 May, the Pakistani military announced that it had regained control of all of Mingora, though small pockets of resistance still remained in the city's outskirts. Fighting between Pakistani forces and Taliban militants continued in other areas. The Pakistani army claimed the death toll to be 1,200 Taliban fighters and 90 Pakistani soldiers.〔http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090530/wl_afp/pakistanunrestnorthwestmingora 〕 There were believed to be 200,000 people in Mingora as recently as a week prior to the eruption of hostilities. Following the lifting of a curfew, as of 23 May a large exodus left what was believed to be only 10,000-20,000 civilians in the town.〔(Pakistan army battles Taliban in Swat’s main city ) 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Second Battle of Swat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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