Pakistani Taliban to Swat civilians: Come back

He said the operation — which involves some 12,000 to 15,000 security forces — would go on as planned. Earlier, he estimated some 1,500 to 2,000 hardcore militants remained in the valley.

Up to 20,000 civilians remain in Mingora. A resident on the city's outskirts said 3,000 people were stranded in his neighborhood.

"We do not have anything to eat. We do not have water," Liaqat Ali said. "We do not have medicines. We do not have any doctor or any hospitals to go to."

During a meeting with a U.S. congressional delegation visiting Monday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appealed for more American aid to help those who managed to get out of Swat, according to a press release from the premier's office. Washington has already promised $110 million in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan.

As many as 2.4 million people have been displaced in the operation, officials said Monday. At least 160,000 are living in relief camps, while the rest are with relatives, friends or in rented property.

How the government handles the crisis could affect the generally broad public support for the military campaign.

Pakistan will need at least $1 billion to reconstruct damaged areas and help the displaced resettle once the fighting ends, federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said. "To send them back home, we have started initial satellite surveys for the rehabilitation of their homes, business and cultivatable lands," he said.

The military says about 1,100 suspected insurgents have died so far in the offensive.

It has not given a civilian death toll, and it's unclear how it is separating noncombatants killed from militants. Residents fleeing the region have reported dozens of ordinary Pakistanis killed in the fight. Journalists have mostly been barred from reporting there.

1|2

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email