MINGORA, Jan 24: The government has decided to deploy army and paramilitary troops at a number of educational institutions in Mingora in the wake of mounting attacks, especially on girls’ schools, in the Swat valley. Mingora is the region’s administrative headquarters.

According to an official, 25 soldiers have been posted at each of the 16 institutions covered by the new security measure.

The official, however, hastened to add: “It is impossible to protect all government buildings against militants’ attacks by deploying troops.” He was alluding to requests by the valley’s administration that the government step in to protect educational institutions in the face of repeated threats by militants to destroy schools and colleges “corrupting the youth”.

Security forces have been lodged in a number of schools and colleges ever since the extremists started targeting educational institutions in their confrontation with the state.

The followers of Maulana Fazlullah, who is spearheading the “jihad for the promulgation of an Islamic order” in Swat, have so far demolished 170 buildings housing schools.

Sher Afzal Khan, a spokesman for the education department, urged the government to take steps for protection of all schools and colleges in the region.

CLASHES: Security forces stepped up their crackdown against militants in the valley on Saturday, killing eight of them when they were poised to attack a check-post in Kabal tehsil.

Officials claimed a local militant ‘commander’, Noor Bakhtiar, was among the dead. Other militants killed in the gun battle were identified as Hazrat Ali, Ijaz Ali, Sher Malik, Sher Ali, Gul Umar, Mohammad Ayub and Ajab Khan.

In Bern tehsil, militants threw a hand-grenade into a school building. There were no casualties.