WRAP Military briefing on Swat operation, police compound destroyed by Taliban

Описание: (16 May 2009) SHOTLIST
Islamabad
1. Wide exterior of Pakistan Information Department building
2. Close of Pakistani flag
3. Wide of news conference
4. Various of journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Major General Athar Abbas, Military Spokesman:
"The operation in Swat, Shangla and Buner is continuing. We have achieved success. The security forces are closing in from different directions and have been able to inflict many more casualties. In the last 24 hours, 47 terrorists have been killed in various areas, and also some arrests have been made."
6. Cutaway of journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Major General Athar Abbas, Military Spokesman:
"The gunship helicopters in the air are using very precision guided ammunition, and they are very... focused targets are being engaged. There is no possibility of... you see the targets for the air and the attack helicopters are selected at the highest possible military authority level. It is their concern, and they have to personally involve themselves in the selection of targets. This reflects the seriousness of this issue."
8. Mid of video screen showing alleged captured Taliban militants
9. Wide of journalists watching screen
10. Close of video screen showing aerial filming and explosion
11. Close of video screen showing targeted building
12. Mid of journalists
13. Close of video screen showing aerial view of valley
14. Wide of news conference
Chakdara, Malakand Agency
15. Various of destroyed Pakistani police post
16. Close of sign
17. Mid of destroyed compound
18. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Ajab Gul Khan, resident of Chakdara:
"They (the Taliban) came at 11:30 at night. They opened fire and there were also explosions at the police post. After the fight, they took the police officers from the post. More Taliban with various weapons came to help them. Then, early this morning about 4 am, they set bombs inside the police post, drove their vehicles some distance away, and blew up the post. The fight lasted all night."
19. Mid of burned police compound
20. Mid of compound, possessions scattered on ground
21. Mid of destroyed fan
22. Close of police uniform on ground
STORYLINE:
The Pakistani military said on Saturday that it has achieved some success in its ongoing operation against Taliban militants in the north western part of the country.
Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told a news conference in the capital Islamabad, that the military had killed several high ranking Taliban commanders in the fighting in the northwest.
During the briefing, Abbas showed pictures of men purported to be captured or killed Taliban fighters.
Abbas also showed aerial photography of alleged Taliban weapons and ammunitions dumps which he said were later destroyed by the military.
Further north, the army was preparing to assail Taliban militants entrenched in Mingora, the main town in the Swat Valley, from where nearly a
(m) million civilians have fled a three-week-old military offensive.
About 100-thousand are housed in sweltering camps south of the war zone.
The army says it has killed more than 800 of the estimated 4,000 militants in the valley and that many more have fled, some after shaving off their
beards to blend in with the refugees.
Abbas said on Saturday that 47 militants had been killed in the previous 24 hours and that one pocket of the valley near the town of Khwazakhela was safe enough for residents to return.
Like much of the information provided by authorities, there was no way to verify those tolls independently.

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