Pakistan - Swat offensive

Swat Valley curfew back on after thousands leave area

Article published on the 2009-05-15 Latest update 2009-05-15 13:46 TU

Swat Valley evacuees looking for rides near Peshawar, Pakistan, 14 May 2009
(Photo: Reuters)

Thousands of civilians have been fleeing Pakistan's Swat Valley to avoid getting caught in fighting between the government and Taliban insurgents. The government lifted its curfew for eight hours Friday until 2 pm local time and encouraged residents to leave.

The areas where the curfew was lifted include the valley's main city of Mingora and the nearby districts of Kanju and Kabal. Up to 200,000 people were believed to be trapped in the city.

Administrators said that the army issued special passes to 150 buses to carry civilians, with thousands more people leaving in private vehicles, .

Already before Friday, the government estimates, over 800,000 civilians had been displaced. Many have been living in makeshift camps.

However, officials say that some 200,000 are stil left in Mingora alone.

Those “who are trapped in these trouble areas, when they get a chance, they get out of there,” correspondent Behroz Khan said from Peshawar.

Pakistani authorites say they aim to rid the Swat Valley and surrounding area of the Taliban within 20 days.

The army is planning a slow, methodical operation says Khan.

“The militants have planted these roadside bombs – IEDs,” Khan told RFI. “The forces are moving slowly because they are clearing this IEDs.”

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari visits Paris to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday.