By ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press
MINGORA, Pakistan -- Nearly three months after Pakistan retook the Swat Valley from the Taliban, bloodied corpses are still turning up on the streets. This time, the victims are suspected militants -- and the killers are alleged to be security forces.
The army and the police deny the accusations, which the leading Pakistani human rights watchdog says are credible.
The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a recent report it had received "credible reports of numerous extrajudicial killings and reprisals carried out by security forces" in Swat.
"'Taliban justice' has been rightly condemned for its brutal and arbitrary nature. Treatment of individuals by government must aspire to a higher standard," the commission said.
The killings are a sign of the troubles still facing the valley, even as U.S. officials cite the offensive as a success in Islamabad's campaign against al-Qaida and Taliban militants threatening both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The bloodshed comes as many of the millions who fled the fighting are now returning to rebuild their lives. Last week, two suicide blasts rocked the main town of Mingora in another deadly reminder of the threat the militants still pose.
The corpses began appearing several weeks ago, residents say. On Monday, 15 bodies were found in a town east of Mingora, local TV stations reported, although authorities would not confirm that.
The killings are a grim echo of Taliban rule over the valley, when militants dumped bodies of alleged spies or government collaborators on the streets to terrify people into submission.
"Previously we were afraid of the Taliban. Now, we're afraid of the army," one man said, standing at the site where the bodies of two people, 35-year-old butcher Gohar Ullah and his younger brother Zahoor, 30, were found Friday. Like many in Mingora, he would not give his name for fear of reprisals.
The police say the bodies turning up on the streets belong to militants.
Militants began asserting their influence in Swat in 2007. By April, they controlled much of the one-time tourist retreat, just four hours' drive from the capital, Islamabad.
The army launched a major operation in April that it claims killed more than 1,600 militants.
While the insurgents have undoubtedly been pushed back, their top leadership escaped, keeping many of the valley's residents on edge.
