Pakistan confirms full-scale Swat attacks

MINGORA, Pakistan, May 8 (UPI) -- The Pakistan military said it implemented a full-scale offensive in the Swat Valley Friday in an attempt to drive out Taliban militants.

Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said 140 militants and seven Pakistani security force troops had been killed in the region, and that army helicopters began targeting Taliban positions, The New York Times said.

Abbas said nearly 4,000 militants estimated to be in the Swat Valley were fleeing the military offensive.

"They are on the run and trying to block the exodus of innocent civilians by preventing their departure through coercion," the military spokesman said.

The Times said the military offensive came after U.S. officials urged Pakistan to take action because of the militants' apparent use of a February peace agreement to gain control of three Pakistani districts.

Pakistan's English-language newspaper Dawn reported security forces in the Swat Valley have orders to eliminate any key Taliban leaders they find.

Abbas accused the militants of coordinating training with, and receiving money from, the terrorist group al-Qaida, Dawn reported.