Civilians flee northwest Pakistan as the government promises to "eliminate" Taliaban militants

Pakistani warplanes bombed Taliban positions in the Swat Valley today as the government deployed new troops to combat the growing Islamist insurgency. Authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew on a key transit area for Pakistani forces. The northwestern region has seen two years of unrest during the Taliban's campaign to impose Sharia law. Some half a million civilians have already been displaced by the fighting.