By Zeeshan Haider DARGAI, Pakistan, June 1 (Reuters) - The cloying smell of death in Mingora, the main town in the conflict zone of Pakistan's Swat valley, comes from bodies of abandoned or stray dogs that died of starvation. "There is nothing to eat, no water, no electricty, no gas, no telephone, no hospital," said Nisar Khan, a resident, who had brought his family out on Sunday, when the army lifted a curfew a day after declaring the town under its full control. Khan said there was no fighting now in Mingora, and most of the Taliban fled more than a week ago when troops first arrived, and fought street-battles with the few die-hards who stayed behind. The military cancelled a planned media visit on Monday, and the town was still largely sealed off to people wanting to go in. "We are only letting relief goods in," said a security official at a checkpoint at Dargai, a small town some 55 km (34 miles) southwest of Mingora. The offensive was extended to Swat at the start of May, after the army had swung into action a couple of weeks earlier when the Taliban moved into Buner valley, just 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Islamabad. Fighting is continuing elsewhere in a valley once famed for its alpine beauty, and the military said on Monday that 18 militants and two soldiers had been killed in the past 24 hours. The army put in 15,000 troops, backed by artillery and air power against a militant force initially estimated at around 5,000, but later pared back to 2,000 hardcore fighters. There are no independent casualty estimates, but the army says over 1,230 militants have been killed, while it has lost more than 90 men since the fighting began. Most of Mingora's 300,000 people fled after the army told them to get out before launching operations. Some 50,000, including Khan, his wife and five children, stayed put, and suffered the privations of a city under siege. "Small street shops which only sold lentils, have also run out of stock," said Khan, cradling a 6-month child in his lap, as he recounted the harrowing conditions and ordeal of his trek to safety in Mardan, a city on the plains. "Stray dogs and other pets have died of hunger. Their bodies can be seen lying in streets," Khan recalled. "There is a smell everywhere." RETURNING TO "NORMAL" Officials say an estimated 2.4 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Swat and adjoining areas, prompting U.N. warnings of a humanitarian crisis. Up to 90 percent, including Khan's family, have been provided shelter by friends or relatives, while the remainder have crammed into camps in towns such as Mardan and Swabi. Aid workers say many civilians were wounded in the fighting and perished trying to reach safety. "A lot of people have been wounded in the fighting but there are no medical services in many areas like Mingora," said Fazil Tezara, head of Medecins San Frontieres (MSF) Belgium in Pakistan. "Wounded people are trying to get to the nearest hospital in Timergara, but that is a seven day trek through mountains and people are dying on the way and their bodies are just lying there," Tezara said, referring to the main town in Lower Dir, a district to Swat's west. A Reuters journalist who briefly visited Mingora on Sunday, said his home town hadn't suffered significant physical damage, and neighbours said civilian casualties were relatively few. "There were about a dozen buildings, a petrol pump and some eight to ten shops damaged," said Junaid Khan. Food supplies are being trucked in for beleaguered families, and medical teams have arrived. Gas supplies are available in the town, but the electricity grid needs to be repaired, and the army says it will take about two weeks for amenities to be restored. Azim Khan, a relief commissioner for North West Frontier Province, said authorities would give the all clear for the displaced families to return once they could be sure of the basic needs of life and security. A curfew was relaxed in some parts of Swat valley on Monday, but some people were still trapped in militant strongholds, like Matta, Taliban commander Fazlullah's main base. (Additional reporting by Junaid Khan; Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore; Editing by David Fox)
An internally displaced family, fleeing a military offensive in the Swat valley region, walk through the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) Jalozai camp, about 140 km (87 miles) northwest ...
