The claims about the Taliban casualties have also been questioned by people fleeing Malakand division due to violence. Residents of Buner and Swat have said the militants are yet to bear the brunt of the military operation.

"We have never seen major casualties on the militants' side so far and only innocent people are targeted," Fazl Karim, a displaced resident of Mingora, the main city in Swat, told Dawn newspaper.

Local residents said militants brandishing heavy weapons could still be seen in Mingora and adjacent areas. Syed Bacha, a rickshaw driver, said militants suffered casualties on the first day of the operation last week when Taliban positions were pounded at emerald mines near Mingora.

Bacha laughed at the government's claim that over 700 militants had been killed. "If they kill 100 militants, I am 100 per cent sure the Taliban will not stay for a single day and will disappear forever," he said. "People are fed up with mock operations and want a final showdown (and) elimination of militants even at the cost of our city."

The picture has been further confused by the fact that virtually no reporters are currently in Swat. Most media organisations have relocated their reporters to Peshawar.

The media has reported the deaths and official funerals of several security personnel killed in the fighting but there has been no video footage whatsoever of Taliban casualties.

The News daily too questioned the Taliban casualty figures provided by government, saying the numbers suggested that almost 10 per cent of the 7,000-odd militants in Swat had been killed and about another 20-30 per cent wounded.

... contd.