Thousand Pakistan refugee flee Swat Valley

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-11-2009 09:41

Thousands of fearful civilians, many on foot, are still fleeing Pakistan's war-torn Swat Valley.

The military launched a full-scale offensive on Thursday, trying to wrest Swat and neighboring districts from Taliban militants.

A man internally displaced from Swat Valley carries a  sack of wheat flour as other wait their turn at a relief camp arranged a Pakistani political party in Mardan,  Pakistan Sunday, May 10, 2009. Thousands of fearful  civilians, many on foot or donkey-pulled carts, streamed out of a conflict-ridden Pakistani valley Sunday as  authorities briefly lifted a curfew. The army said it  had killed scores of militants in the latest fighting. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

The government has urged residents of the region to leave over the past week.

Meanwhile, warplanes have continued to pound the militant-held region in a confrontation the prime minister has called a "war for the country's survival". Hundreds of thousands have already fled, adding a humanitarian crisis to the country's economic and political woes.

Relief workers for the international aid agency World Vision say they have found "intolerable" conditions at some camps due to soaring temperatures, overcrowding, and a lack of electricity.

Editor:Zhang Yun