Pakistan's army says it has recaptured several areas of Mingora, the main city in the Swat valley, as its offensive against the Taliban continues.

A security official said soldiers were now clearing landmines in the sections of the city back under their control.

But clashes are still continuing, with soldiers and militants engaged in hand-to-hand fighting. Witnesses also report the sounds of sporadic gunfire.

The fighting began after a peace deal broke down earlier this month.

The military says Mingora is surrounded, and most of the militants' ammunition dumps have been destroyed.

Several important intersections and three main squares, including Green Square where the Taliban is thought to have carried out several beheadings, are now reportedly controlled by the army.

The military claim to have killed 17 Taliban militants - a figure the Taliban denies.

The army also said it had made progress in other parts of the Swat valley, with the city of Matta reportedly cleared of militants.

Most people in Pakistan support the military offensive in Swat

But army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas warned that the operation in Mingora could be "painfully slow", as up to 20,000 civilians were still trapped there.

"This is an extremely difficult, extremely dangerous operation because clearance has to be done street by street, house by house," he told reporters on Saturday.

A curfew remains in place in the city, which is the administrative and business hub of the Swat valley.

'Slow offensive'

The BBC's Shoaib Hassan, in Islamabad, says the Swat battle is the most important yet in the army's offensive against the Taliban in the north-west.

A swift victory would bolster public support for a greater fight against the militants, our correspondent adds.

A Taliban spokesman said the militants would fight the security forces to their last breath.

Source: BBC News