Heavy Fighting In The Pakistan Province Of -- 200,000 Refugees And Climbing

Pakistani Paramilitary Forces

200,000 civilians flee fighting in north Pakistan -- The Telegraph

Intense fighting in the Bajaur tribal district in north Pakistan has forced more than 200,000 people to flee their villages, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) official has said.

"There is a real war shaking the Bajaur region at the moment," said Pascal Cuttat, the head of the ICRC Pakistan delegation, with government forces "facing heavy opposition."

Pakistan's forces have launched a number of major military offensives in recent weeks against militants in the Bajaur district, which is thought to be an Al-Qaeda stronghold.

"In the last few weeks, we have a dramatic intensification of the armed conflict which has its flare-ups and this is the most difficult one," Cuttat said during a press briefing in Geneva.

At least 200,000 people have fled their homes in the semi-autonomous Bajaur district near the Afghanistan border in the past three weeks, according to Cuttat.

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My Comment: A slaughter is in progress in this tribal region of Pakistan with civilians bearing the brunt of the suffering. This will only swell the ranks of the Taliban and Al Qaeda even more.