ISLAMABAD - As military operation Rah-e-Rast continues, the security forces have secured Malam Jaba, the militants stronghold in Swat region, army sources said on Monday. Malam Jaba, located on main line of communication connects Swat valley with Mansehra, was being used as a training centre and logistic base by the terrorists, they said. Meanwhile, an ISPR update said that four militants had been killed and six security forces personnel injured during the last 24 hours in various areas of Swat during exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces. They also said that eight militants had been arrested. Operation from Kanju has started to secure Kabbal, the main stronghold of militants, where they have training facilities and the fleeing militants from Mingora are gathering. Two important strongholds, en route Aligrama and Gulkada, have been secured. Security forces are facing stiff resistance, ISPR update said. According to the update, the troops have successfully secured Fizaghat and other areas area up to Watakai. During exchange of fire, two miscreants have been killed and six soldiers injured while one APC of police, being used by the terrorists, huge cache of arms and ammunition have been recovered, it said. The ISPR said that the security forces had also diffused several IEDs during the process of swooping. It said that the security forces had also resumed operation in Piochar where heavy exchange of fire had taken place and resultantly killed two miscreants and arrested five others. Miscreants are on the run from the valley. The operation is progressing well. Security forces have secured Qambar village and Qambar Bidge and are consolidating their positions in the town where six tunnels have been cleared, the update added. Area up to Grid Station, Amankot, T junction in Saidu Khawar has been secured while the security forces have cleared Udigram and conducted cordon and search operation arresting three miscreants, according to the update. Agencies add: Soldiers were moving from house to house on Monday as they battled militants in the main town, Mingora, in the Swat valley and were expected to take at least a week to secure it, the military said. It said it could take up to 10 days to wrest back control of Swats Taliban-held capital. Ground forces are fighting street-by-street with Taliban fighters in Mingora, the business and administrative hub of the scenic Swat region, which has been ripped apart by a two-year insurgency by the extremists. Look at the size of the city, the number of militants present there, the number of houses to be searched, said military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas. It may take seven to 10 days to clear Mingora town of militants, Abbas told AFP. The operation may be a little slow to avoid civilian casualties, damage and destruction to property. There are also improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted in Mingora, and we have to clear these IEDs as well. The military claimed to have secured Malam Jabba, a Taliban bastion in Swat once popular with tourists for its pristine ski slopes, and to have made gains in several key Mingora neighbourhoods. Security forces are facing stiff resistance, a military statement said. Abbas said soldiers had captured several important intersections in Mingora and the militants were fleeing in some areas but battling hard in others. Everything is going according to the plan, the strategy. Theyre on the run though theyre also putting up resistance at different places, he said. The military said heavy fire had taken place in the militants Peochar valley stronghold. A military official who did not want to be named said security forces were still battling on the streets of Mingora, which has seen Taliban fighters armed with guns and rocket launchers patrol the streets in the past weeks, according to residents who fled. Militants are retreating from different fronts but we are still receiving fire from some pockets of resistance, the official said. While many civilians have fled, many are still left including an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 in Mingora and about 200,000 in the north of the valley, where there has been less fighting. As far as the relief activities for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are concerned, the window access to the Army Warehouse, Risalpur, has been provided to the IDPs for provision of relief goods. Army has distributed around 50 tons of ration for the consumption of 80,000 IDPs. So far, Army has donated 560 tons of rations out of its daily quota. Army troops are assisting civil administration for preparation of improvised sheds inside the IDP camps, besides providing medical treatment in the two field hospitals, which are established at Jehanded Society in Benazir Camp. Female doctors, who were equipped with Ultra Sound training provided medical treated to 180 female patients in the camp.