Pakistani troops are fighting the Taliban for control of the nation's Swat Valley, which borders Afghanistan and is roughly 100 miles from the capital city, Islamabad. On Sunday, Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced that more than 1,000 Taliban fighters had been killed since battles broke out several days earlier.
The army is now preparing to enter the district's largest city, Mingora. Several thousand Taliban terrorist militants are believed to be waiting in the city.
An estimated one million civilians have fled the fighting. Military officials suspect some Taliban members have fled as well, shaving their beards to blend in.
Pakistani military leaders have not released figures relating to military or civilian casualties.
The Taliban seized control of Swat in late 2008, sparking fears that the militant Islamist group would succeed in staging cross-border raids on Afghanistan and would destabilize the Pakistani government. In Israel, the show of Taliban power raised concerns for the future of Pakistan's nuclear weapons arsenal.
Pakistan's government agreed in February 2009 to allow the imposition of Islamic law (Sharia) in the Swat region, in exchange for a ceasefire with the Taliban. However, the Taliban refused to disarm, and in April moved closer to Islamabad, entering the neighboring district of Buner
In late April the government announced that it would soon resume fighting. An anti-Taliban offensive officially began in early May.
The United States has expressed support for the Pakistani offensive, but is reportedly concerned that civilian casualties in Swat could lead to an increase in popular support for the Taliban.