PAKISTAN: Thousands flee Swat Valley as army moves in to tackle militants

Extremist elements in Swat had been urging parents to send their children to Islamic schools
ISLAMABAD, 20 November 2007 (IRIN) - Thousands of people have begun fleeing Pakistan’s troubled Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) following an announcement by security forces calling on residents to leave their homes.

The move appears timed to coincide with a major military offensive set to take place over the coming days against Taliban militants operating in the area.

“The authorities made the announcement in Kabal last night,” Mohammad Munir, district manager for Pakistan’s Red Crescent Society in Swat, told IRIN from the village of Totanobandai, on 20 November. Kabal lies 10km northwest of Mingora, the district’s largest city, and has some 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants. READ MORE