Refugee Crisis Opens Doors for Pakistan's Secluded Women

Military bombards densely populated areas; UN warns of crisis

(NEWSER) - Refugees continue to flee the Swat Valley in Pakistan, reports the Guardian, where government forces battling resurgent Taliban militants have been conducting airstrikes in heavily populated areas. The government is preparing for up to 500,000 refugees in what the UN warns is becoming a humanitarian crisis. The Washington Post reports from a camp outside Islamabad, where refugees told of violence under the Taliban and erratic behavior by the government and military. More»

Military's paltry victory gives fighters opening to reclaim stronghold

(NEWSER) - Pakistan is crowing over its victories against militants in the Swat Valley, but the Taliban has simply retreated to fight another day, Jane Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah write in the New York Times. Pakistan, which only controls roads and urban centers, hasn't even killed one Taliban leader. "Most of the Taliban shaved their beards, and they are living here with their families" in refugee camps, a local mayor said. More»

Refugee crisis mounts as fighting ramps up

(NEWSER) - Pakistani soldiers descended on a Taliban stronghold in Swat Valley today to “search and destroy,” a military spokesman tells Reuters. Ground troops were also moving toward the remote northwest region as the military ramps up its offensive against insurgents there. Officials say 751 of the vastly outnumbered militants and 29 soldiers have died; meanwhile, as many as 800,000 civilians have fled. More»

(NEWSER) - Pakistani forces told more residents of Swat Valley to flee during a 9-hour lull in fighting today, sparking an even greater migration that is snarling roads and deepening a humanitarian crisis, the Guardian reports. A quarter million refugees have now registered for help, bringing the homeless tally to 1.3 million in North West Frontier province. One aid groups called conditions "intolerable" in six new refugee camps. More»

(NEWSER) - Pakistan's government abandoned its rapidly decaying truce with the Taliban today, al-Jazeera reports, with government forces openly battling militants in several parts of the Swat Valley following a Taliban attack on an army convoy yesterday. Tens of thousands of residents have already fled the area, and the government said it expects 500,000 more today, the AP adds. More»