Pakistan - south Waziristan offensive

Military say 227 dead, 200,000 flee region

Article published on the 2009-10-26 Latest update 2009-10-26 16:33 TU

Internally displaced people (IDPs), fleeing a military offensive in South Waziristan on Monday
(Photo: Reuters)

The Pakistani army said on Monday that casualties from the military operation in South Waziristan had risen to 227.

It said 19 militants had been killed in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of militant dead to 197, and that the recent deaths of six Pakistani soldiers brought the army's toll to 30.

There is currently no independent verification of these figures available.

The army is continuing its advance towards Sararoghta, after it captured Kotkai, the hometown of rebel leader Hakimullah Mehsud.

Thirty thousand soldiers are involved in the offensive and hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis have been fleeing the violence - the army's special support group said over 26,000 families had been registered, suggesting an estimated 200,000 displaced people.

The Red Cross has said that its workers were being kept out of South Waziristan while the UN has said that over half of the people who are on the move have been forced out of their homes over the last two weeks.