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10-14-2008, 12:58 PM
190,000 refugees have reportedly fled Pakistani offensive against insurgents: UN
By Asif Shahzad, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The United Nations says almost 190,000 people are believed to have fled fighting between Pakistani troops and militants in the Afghan border region.
The UN statement on the refugees came amid reports of fresh clashes in the area Tuesday. Meanwhile, police in the frontier region released an American citizen picked up on Monday.
Authorities originally described the 20-year-old as a U.S. citizen travelling without the permission foreigners need to enter the region.
However, they later said the man is a dual American-Pakistani national and that his roaming in the area was "just due to his lack of knowledge" about local sensitivities.
Fighting is spreading across Pakistan's rugged northwest as the government tries to crack down on insurgents blamed for soaring attacks on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and a bloody campaign of suicide bombings against military and western targets within Pakistan.
Most of the clashes are taking place in Bajur, where the Pakistani military launched a major offensive in early August.
The UN's refugee agency said at least 20,000 Pakistanis and Afghans have fled from Bajur into eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province since the fighting began.
Story continued....
(http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/10/14/7077701-ap.html)
By Asif Shahzad, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The United Nations says almost 190,000 people are believed to have fled fighting between Pakistani troops and militants in the Afghan border region.
The UN statement on the refugees came amid reports of fresh clashes in the area Tuesday. Meanwhile, police in the frontier region released an American citizen picked up on Monday.
Authorities originally described the 20-year-old as a U.S. citizen travelling without the permission foreigners need to enter the region.
However, they later said the man is a dual American-Pakistani national and that his roaming in the area was "just due to his lack of knowledge" about local sensitivities.
Fighting is spreading across Pakistan's rugged northwest as the government tries to crack down on insurgents blamed for soaring attacks on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and a bloody campaign of suicide bombings against military and western targets within Pakistan.
Most of the clashes are taking place in Bajur, where the Pakistani military launched a major offensive in early August.
The UN's refugee agency said at least 20,000 Pakistanis and Afghans have fled from Bajur into eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province since the fighting began.
Story continued....
(http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/10/14/7077701-ap.html)