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Thousands flee Pakistan fighting Thousands flee Pakistan fighting
(about 1 hour later)
A Pakistani offensive against militants in the Swat Valley has displaced some 200,000 people and 300,000 are on the move or about to flee, the UN says.A Pakistani offensive against militants in the Swat Valley has displaced some 200,000 people and 300,000 are on the move or about to flee, the UN says.
As jets and helicopters pounded targets in the valley, the UN said it was threatening to become one of the world's biggest displacement crises.As jets and helicopters pounded targets in the valley, the UN said it was threatening to become one of the world's biggest displacement crises.
Troops have killed more than 140 militants in the past 24 hours, army spokesman Gen Athar Abbas said. Troops have killed more than 140 militants in the past 24 hours in a "full-scale" offensive, the army said.
He said that measures had been taken to provide for fleeing civilians. It accused the Taleban of trying to stop civilians leaving the area.
But reports suggest some civilians are being prevented from leaving militant-held areas.
See a map of the region See a map of the region
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani vowed on Thursday to "eliminate militants and terrorists" from Swat, a bastion of Taleban rule. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has vowed to "eliminate militants and terrorists" from Swat, a bastion of Taleban rule.
Yusuf Raza Gilani in Thursday's TV address
A full-scale offensive began on Friday, with militant strongholds hit from the air and troops conducting operations on the ground.
Despite now abandoned attempts to secure a peace deal in and around Swat, the area - close to the border with Afghanistan - has long been riven by tensions.Despite now abandoned attempts to secure a peace deal in and around Swat, the area - close to the border with Afghanistan - has long been riven by tensions.
Some 550,000 people had already been displaced before the current crisis, said UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond.Some 550,000 people had already been displaced before the current crisis, said UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond.
Militants 'entrenched'Militants 'entrenched'
Those displaced over recent days have been forced to flee with very little preparation, aid workers say. Those displaced over recent days have been forced to flee with very little preparation, aid workers say, with families often separated, and doctors in displaced camps report widespread psychological trauma.
Yusuf Raza Gilani in Thursday's TV address
Many are fleeing Mingora, the main town in Swat Valley, which was home to several hundred thousand people before the latest fighting began.
Locals say that most of the current fighting is centred on the Kabal and Charbagh areas of Swat, as well as Mingora itself, and fighting is reported in Maidan, Lower Dir.
Militant strongholds were hit from the air on Friday as troops conducted operations on the ground.
Announcing the rebel losses, which could not be verified independently, Pakistani military spokesman Gen Athar Abbas said the militants were "on the run".
"The army is now engaged in a full-scale operation to eliminate miscreants," he told reporters.
"They are on the run and trying to block the exodus of civilians from the area."
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They say families were often separated as they fled, and doctors in displaced camps report many are suffering psychological trauma. Earlier, he told the BBC the military's objective was to eliminate some 4-5,000 militants from the Swat Valley and neighbouring districts of Dir and Buner.
Many residents are fleeing Mingora, the main town in Swat Valley, which was home to several hundred thousand people before the latest fighting began. He warned it would be a "drawn-out affair" because militants in Swat had "entrenched themselves".
Locals say that most of the current fighting is centred in the Kabal and Charbagh areas of Swat, as well as Mingora itself. They were, he added, "making best use of the terrain, which is ideal country for any guerrilla warfare".
The military also reports heavy fighting in Maidan, Lower Dir. The government is confident it has public support for its military campaign but this could easily be eroded if civilian casualties mount, the BBC's Mark Dummett reports from Islamabad.
Speaking to the BBC, Gen Abbas confirmed that the military's objective was to eliminate some 4-5,000 militants from the Swat Valley and neighbouring districts of Dir and Buner. Threat of hunger
"It will be a drawn-out affair," he warned, "because the militants in Swat have had time to entrench themselves in the area, mix with the people, and through coercion, fear and using terror as a weapon, eliminate all those who supported the government."
He said militants were "making best use of the terrain, which is ideal country for any guerrilla warfare".
Hospitals in the conflict zone also report civilian deaths.
The BBC's Mark Dummett in Islamabad says that the government's superiority in terms of military hardware would ensure it easy victory in a pitched battle.
But this is not a pitched battle, he says: the Taleban are able to fight, disperse and regroup. The militants are well motivated, he adds.
At present, our correspondent says, the government is confident it has public support for its military campaign - but this could easily be eroded if civilian casualties mount.
Civilians 'trapped'
The Pakistani military says it is trying to help displaced civilians by establishing camps where they can seek shelter.The Pakistani military says it is trying to help displaced civilians by establishing camps where they can seek shelter.
The people are now trapped and in an increasingly difficult position. The electricity and water have been shut down... Food stocks are dwindling Journalist in Swat But reports suggest many thousands of civilians under threat from the fighting are unwilling or unable to move.
But reports suggest many thousands of civilians under threat from the fighting are unwilling or unable to move. They may be scared to leave their homes, aid workers say. Roads have been blocked or reportedly mined by the rebels.
In other instances, militants may prevent civilians fleeing, or they may be hindered by roads which have been blocked or laid with landmines as part of the militants' military strategy. The Pakistani military has also imposed an indefinite curfew over swathes of the region.
The Pakistani military has also imposed an indefinite curfew over swathes of the region, preventing other civilians from fleeing. A local journalist in Mingora told the BBC that electricity and water had been shut down and markets had been closed since Thursday. There was, the journalist said, a real threat of food shortages in the coming days.
"The curfew has been reinforced in Mingora and the surrounding areas", a local journalist told the BBC. While the army accuses the Taleban of holding the people left in the Swat Valley hostage, people who have escaped blame both sides for the conflict and the dire position of the civilians caught between them, our correspondent notes.
"The people are now trapped and in an increasingly difficult position. The electricity and water have been shut down. The government signed a peace agreement with the Swat Taleban in February, allowing Sharia law to be locally imposed.
"All the markets have been closed since [Thursday]," the journalist said. "Food stocks are dwindling. If supplies are not made available, people will face starvation in next few days."
Islamabad's fresh offensive against the militants is a change of course for the government, which in February signed a peace agreement with Swat Taleban agreeing to allow Sharia law to be locally imposed.
But in the face of territorial advances by emboldened Taleban forces, the strategy came under increasing fire from Washington, a key ally.But in the face of territorial advances by emboldened Taleban forces, the strategy came under increasing fire from Washington, a key ally.
The US insists the militants pose a direct threat to its security, and has demanded they be confronted.The US insists the militants pose a direct threat to its security, and has demanded they be confronted.
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