1:44pm UK, Saturday May 23, 2009

Pakistani security forces have entered the Swat Valley’s main city and killed at least 17 Taliban militants.

Pakistani troops on their way into Mingora in the Swat Valley

The offensive in Mingora is part of a regional offensive aimed at halting the spread of a Taliban insurgency.

“Street fighting has begun in Mingora,” military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said.

He said government forces had cleared some parts of the city but fierce clashes were under way in the centre.

About 15,000 members of the security forces are fighting between 4,000 and 5,000 militants in Swat, the military says.

Officials have warned that the militants might try to strike back, although the government has vowed to expand the offensive once it is finished in Swat.

Before Saturday’s fighting, Pakistan had said more than 1,000 militants and more than 50 soldiers had been killed in the offensive.

There has been no independent confirmation of the figures.

The United Nations has warned of a long-term humanitarian crisis.

It has called for massive aid for nearly 1.7 million people displaced by the Swat offensive and about 555,000 people who had been forced from their homes by earlier fighting in the region.

The UN has estimated that it will need as much as £380m to deal with the tide of people.

It has described the situation as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.

The British Government has responded to the appeal by pledging £10m, in addition to another £12m given since November.