International

30,000 Displaced As Pakistan Military Offensive Continues

Around 3, 000 civilians have been displaced till now as the Pakistani military, amid Western concerns over Taliban activity, continues to press militants in the north-west region of the country.

Pakistani army and helicopter gunships struck militant positions in the Lower Dir district, killing around 50 insurgents and forcing thousands of residents to flee. According to officials in Dir, as many as 13 security personnel have also died since Sunday in the operation. Some witnesses say that the conflict has claimed civilian lives also.

“Up to 30,000 people have left Maidan in Lower Dir district over the past few days, we are making arrangements for them in Peshawar, Nowshera and Timargarah districts,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain said.

Reports say that in the region, there is a communications blackout. Neither mobile phones nor landlines are working, and there is a power cut, which means people trapped in the area have no access to television news.

Military official were quoted as saying that security forces had seized all the key target areas and that military is now targeting militant hideouts on the hills separating Dir from Swat.

However, there are parallel contrary reports that as per witnesses, the Taliban are spreading out across the area, perhaps to more difficult valleys in Upper Dir where they already have hideaways and, according to local observers, more public sympathy than in Lower Dir.

Needless to add, the Taliban have halted peace talks when military offensive began. The government of North West Frontier Province this year had earlier agreed to introduce Sharia law in the six districts of Malakand division in return for an end to the Taliban insurgency.

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