Thousands of people took advantage of a break in a curfew in Pakistan's Swat valley on Thursday to get out of the region as government aircraft attacked Taliban positions.
The government's handling of Swat has become a test of its resolve to fight a growing Taliban militant insurgency.
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President Asif Ali Zardari assured US President Barack Obama in Washington on Wednesday of Islamabad's commitment to defeating al Qaeda and its allies.
A February peace pact aimed at ending Taliban violence in Swat has collapsed and on Wednesday the military launched assaults in the outskirts of the region's main town of Mingora.
Here are some facts about Swat and the insurgency there.
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