Up to half a million Pakistanis living in the Swat valley could be forced flee amid fierce fighting between Taliban fighters and the military, the Pakistan goverment has said.Thousands of people fled the main town of Mingora in the valley, part of the North West Frontier Province, on Tuesday after being told to leave by government officials.
Men, women and children piled onto pick-up trucks in their haste to flee the town.
"People are leaving with literally clothes on their backs and what few possessions they can carry and heading to a makeshift camp," Sohail Rahman, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Islamabad."The social development minister has appealed to aid agencies to try and help those people who were leaving the Swat area and Buner with accommodation."A camp had been set up for the displaced in the nearby town of Dargai, officials said.
"In view of the situation in Swat, at least 500,000 people can migrate from that area. Camps are being established for them," Mian Iftikhar Hussain, North West Frontier Province's information minister, said.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
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