MINGORA , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- Gen. Nadeem Ahmad swirls the helicopter over Pakistan 's ground zero . Below is the Swat Valley of North West Frontier Province . A Pakistani soldier patrols a ruined street in Mingora . From the air , the valley in the foothills of the Hindu Kush looks undisturbed . Green fields amid clusters of drab houses . A closer look at Swat reveals how well the Pakistani Army fared in its military campaign to wipe out the militants . The cost of success : massive destruction that is sure to hamper the lives of already suffering residents just starting to trickle back to the homes they fled . A few months ago , ferocious battles between Pakistan 's Army and Taliban fighters erupted here -- in Swat , Buner and Lower Dir districts . War 's remnants serve as a constant reminder . A destroyed bridge . Pockmarked houses . Hotels that look like they 've been abandoned for years . Nadeem maneuvers the chopper to circle Mingora , the largest city in the Swat Valley . From the hilltop Army sentry posts that come into view , soldiers survey the ground below , hard won from Taliban fighters . The militants , Nadeem says , have fled to nearby mountains . On the ground , he shows off a cache of weapons seized in the fighting . The soldiers are keen to boast their victory . Mingora remains on high alert . A curfew has been lifted for morning hours , although soldiers keep close watch on those who venture out . The city 's pain is plainly evident on its scarred , deserted streets . Many shops are shuttered or destroyed . Watch Stan Grant tour the shattered streets of Mingora » . The United Nations estimates that 375,000 Swat Valley residents fled their homes during the fighting . In all , 2.5 million Pakistanis were displaced in what was said to be one of the largest human migrations in recent history . About 260,000 people have been living in 21 refugee camps in neighboring Mardan , Swabi , Nowshera , Peshawar and Charssada districts , but the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees say the `` vast majority '' of internally displaced Pakistanis have been staying with host families , rented houses or in schools . The government plans to return people first from the camps and then focus on those living elsewhere . But this week , the United Nations Children 's Fund ( UNICEF ) warned that as many as 1 million people could remain displaced until December because of the widespread destruction in their home towns , such as Mingora . Relief agencies have reported dire humanitarian conditions in Mingora : hospitals without electricity that are inundated with patients , an erratic supply of water and natural gas . One resident , who identified himself only as Abdullah , told CNN that returning people are facing shortages in food , water and basic supplies for survival . Some displaced families also expressed concerns about schooling for their children , reported the Integrated Regional Information Networks ( IRIN ) , the U.N. news agency focusing on humanitarian issues . Louis-Georges Arsenault , emergency office director for UNICEF , said 1 million children were at risk of not starting school by September , mainly due to the Taliban 's widespread destruction of schools and that 4,000 existing schools continue to shelter displaced people . Businessman Muhammad Khan , 40 , who recently returned to Mingora , voiced the despair of returning residents . He told IRIN that `` everything is in ruins . '' `` Everything is in ruins , '' IRIN quoted Khan as saying . `` It will take months for life to return to normality . '' But that normality will no longer include the Taliban , Pakistani soldiers say . The fight was hard , but it was victorious , they say . They point to an area in the city where they say the Taliban displayed the bodies of their victims , some beheaded . It became known as `` Slaughter Square . '' Slaughter Square 's name may be outdated for the time being , but residents like Abdullah say it will be a long time before life in Mingora returns to what it once was . `` I do n't like army . I do n't like Taliban , '' Abdullah says , standing among the ruins of what used to be a thriving market . `` I only want peace . ''
Pakistanis forces in the Swat Valley claim victory in fight against Swat militants . Refugees trickling back to the region find towns , bridges destroyed . Up to 2.5 million Pakistani estimated to have been displaced by conflict . Local businessman : `` Everything is in ruins . It will take A few months ago to return to normality ''