The army’s victory comes nearly a month after it launched a massive offensive aimed at reclaiming Swat from Taliban fighters who had commandeered the picturesque region and enforced their rigid brand of Islamic law. The army started the operation under heavy pressure from the U.S. government, and the Obama administration has been closely watching its progress for signs that Pakistan is serious about its commitment to battle rising militancy here…

“They had prepared Mingora city . . . with bunkers, but when they realized that they were being encircled and the noose was tightening they decided not to give a pitched battle,” he said at an afternoon news conference.