Thousands Flee Fighting in Northwestern Pakistan
By VOA News
10 May 2009
Pakistani authorities have allowed thousands of people to flee a northwestern region where government troops are battling Taliban militants.
Residents left the Swat Valley by car and on foot Sunday after authorities temporarily lifted a curfew. The curfew was reimposed by Sunday evening.
The U.N. refugee agency expects 500,000 people to flee fighting in the region, with many heading for displaced persons' camps in Pakistan's North West Frontier province.
Pakistani troops backed by aircraft launched a full-scale offensive against the Taliban on Thursday after militants took control of areas 100 kilometers from the capital, Islamabad.
The Pakistani military said Sunday it had killed about 200 insurgents in a 24 hour period in Swat and the neighboring Shangla district. It also reported the deaths of two Pakistani soldiers.
There has been no independent confirmation of the casualties.
Pakistan's military says around 400 militants have been killed in the fighting since Friday.
Many civilians who fled the fighting Sunday said they left their homes with the few possessions they could carry and had little food.
International aid group World Vision says conditions in hastily-constructed displaced persons' camps are "intolerable" because of high temperatures, insufficient toilets and a lack of electricity.
World Vision official Jeff Hall said Sunday relief workers may not be able to meet the basic needs of refugees if they continue arriving at the camps at such a quick pace.
Pakistan's government says the Taliban violated a February peace deal in which Swat-based militants agreed to lay down their arms in return for Islamic law (sharia) being imposed in the region. The Taliban blames the government for attacking militants.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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