Pakistan's military is intensifying its campaign to wipe out the Taliban in parts of the country's volatile northwest.
Officialsclaim troops killed at least 32 militants as they tried to clear a mainroad near the town of Sarwaki in the South Waziristan tribal region. The death toll cannot be independently verified.
The battlethere follows Friday's airstrikes along the Afghan border, the firststeps in a new offensive targeting Pakistani Taliban leader BaitullahMehsud.
Troops also targeted militants in the Malakand regionSaturday, where troops have been carrying out an offensive that beganin late April.
Meanwhile, major military action may be coming to an end in Swat.
MajorGeneral Sajjad Ghani told reporters on a military sponsored tour of thearea "high intensity" operations could be over in about a week.
Already,officials have asked refugees to return to Buner district, whereefforts against Taliban militants are also wrapping up.
Many refugees have been staying with friends or relatives, and aid organizations warn many communities are being overwhelmed.
OnSaturday, the Pakistani army distributed supplies to help refugees andthose hosting refugees in the southern city of Karachi.
Anestimated 2.5 million people have fled fighting in Pakistan'snorthwest since the military began battling Taliban fighters in thegreater Swat valley more than a month ago. Reports from SouthWaziristan say some residents have fled their homes in anticipation ofviolence.