**Pakistani troops have killed six militants in the Swat valley as thousands of people displaced by fighting have begun returning home.**The fighting took place in Kabal on Tuesday, army sources said. Kabal has not yet been opened for returnees.
An estimated 12,000 people left relief camps to return to the Swat valley on Tuesday. About 700 families were expected to return on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s prime minister has said it was safe for people to return home.
The army says it has largely defeated Taliban militants in the area after a two month offensive.
People housed in relief camps were being sent back with a military escort. Many others who have been staying with relatives have been making their own way back.
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Fragile security
But many of those returning have expressed uncertainty about the security situation in the area.
“Six militants were killed when troops retaliated and returned fire after a rebel attack on an army checkpost in Kabal town on Tuesday night,” news agency AFP quoted an unnamed military official as saying.
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Military sources confirmed to the BBC that six militants were killed in a clash on Tuesday. No exact time was given for the confrontation.
But local journalists were being taken to view the bodies of the insurgents.
Analysts say the clash underscores the fragile security situation in the Swat valley even as refugees displaced by weeks of fighting in the region begin to return home.
More than 2 million residents of Swat and the surrounding areas fled as the army and the Taliban fought for the last two months.
It was said to be one of the biggest human migrations in recent times.
After the authorities said the area was safe, families began returning home.
Officials said the repatriation started slowly on Monday but picked up pace on Tuesday.
SWAT OFFENSIVE
- Launched in April after militants took area 100km from Islamabad
- Army says some 1,700 militants killed; but none of their leaders
- One of biggest human migrations of recent times, with 2m displaced
Nevertheless, the volume of people is still far short of the number expected to return in the initial wave. The UN has repeatedly stressed that returns must only be on a voluntary basis.
Displaced people from four relief camps have now chosen to return home, officials say.
Those in the camps are travelling on arranged trucks and buses.
They were escorted by soldiers as helicopters hovered overhead for their journey.
The heavy security showed that despite government claims, the Taliban remains a threat in the region.
The government has said it expects all displaced people to return to Swat by the end of July.
But, relief workers say, that may not be possible as people still have concerns over Swat that are yet to be resolved.
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