A fresh flood of refugees poured out of Pakistan’s Swat valley yesterday as authorities temporarily relaxed a curfew ahead of a looming ground onslaught against the Taliban.
The UN refugee agency said more than 834,000 civilians had been registered since May 2, adding to another 555,000 civilians who fled escalating violence last year.
But not all the displaced people have registered and a minister in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), where Swat is situated, estimated the fresh displacements at 1.5 million, with nearly 1 million more still stuck in their homes.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called for “winning the hearts and minds” of the uprooted people, saying: “It will be very unfortunate if we win militarily but lose publicly.”
Security forces temporarily lifted the curfew in parts of Swat and the nearby districts of Lower Dir and Buner from 6am to 2pm yesterday to allow the population to flee the intense fighting between the military and the Taliban militants.
Nearly 15,000 troops with air and artillery support are trying to eliminate up to 5,000 hardcore insurgents. But so far urban warfare has been avoided to prevent civilian casualties.
Fresh battles are expected in Mingora, Swat’s main town, where tens of thousands of people are still believed to be stranded.
The army said the offensive was “progressing well” and soldiers had established a foothold in Peuchar, a key militant bastion where airborne troops were dropped this week for search-and-destroy missions.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres visited one of the makeshift refugee camps on Thursday and sought international support for the displaced people.
Officials described the mass exodus as the largest since the country gained independence in 1947.
PLA MANEUVERS: Although Beijing has yet to formally announce military drills, its coast guard vessels have been spotted near and around Taiwan since Friday The Taiwanese military is on high alert and is closely monitoring the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) air and naval deployments after Beijing yesterday reserved seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces through Wednesday. Beijing’s action was perceived as a precursor to a potential third “Joint Sword” military exercise, which national security experts said the PLA could launch following President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visits to the nation’s three Pacific allies and stopovers in Hawaii and Guam last week. Unlike the Joint Sword military exercises in May and October, when Beijing provided detailed information about the affected areas, it
CHINA: The activities come amid speculation that Beijing might launch military exercises in response to Lai’s recent visit to Pacific allies The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the nation in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect would be a new round of war games. China’s military activities come amid speculation Beijing might organize military drills around the nation in response to President William Lai’s (賴清德) recent visit to Pacific allies, including stops in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory. Lai returned from the week-long trip on Friday night. Beijing has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan this year, and sends ships and military planes
Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists return home from Okinawa after being stranded due to cruise ship maintenance issues, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced yesterday. China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan, the ministry said. The flights have been scheduled for yesterday and today by the Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs. The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa,
US president-elect Donald Trump said he would “never say” if Washington is committed to defending Taiwan from China, but “I would prefer that they do not do it [ an attack],” adding that he has a “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after saying he would not reveal his incoming administration’s stance on Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. Asked the question again, Trump, in a reference to China, said: “I would prefer that they