Hundreds fleeing Swat in Pakistan

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-06-2009 09:33

Witnesses and officials say hundreds of people have fled the northwestern region of Swat amid fighting between Taliban militants and government troops.

A Swati woman waits for relatives at the  bus stand upon arrival from the Swat  district. Panicked civilians fled Pakistan's Swat district on Tuesday as the government  prepared to shelter 500,000 displaced people  and clashes with Taliban fighters heightened  fears that a peace deal was about to collapse. (AFP/Farooq Naeem)

The Pakistani government says up to 500-thousand people are expected to flee the Swat Valley in coming days. Authorities say they are preparing six camps to accommodate these people. But they admit the measure is far from enough.

Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan claims the militants are now in control of "90 percent" of the valley. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of existing refugees have already been driven from other regions in the northwest during the last year by fighting between soldiers and insurgents.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will soon meet US President Barack Obama in Washington to discuss how to step up his country's fight against extremists forces.

Editor:Zhang Yun