Nearly 2.4 million displaced by anti-Taliban offensive, says UN

As Pakistani troops continue their offensive against Taliban fighters in the Swat valley capital of Mingora, UN and Pakistani government officials say more than 2.4 million people have been displaced by the fighting. Nearly 2.4 million people have registered with provincial authorities after fleeing an anti-Taliban military offensive this month in northwest Pakistan, the UN and government officials said Monday.Ariane Rummery, spokeswoman for the UNHCR, said they had been given the figure by the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) authorities, and expected the number to fluctuate after cross checks are carried out in the coming days."In the new influx, 2.38 million people have been registered," she said. "That's the new influx registered from May 2 from Swat, Lower Dir and Buner."Pakistan's security forces launched their onslaught against Taliban fighters in the districts of Lower Dir on April 26, Buner on April 28 and Swat on May 8, sending terrified civilians fleeing their homes.Most of the displaced are staying with friends and relatives, while others are crammed into government-run camps.Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told reporters the government was doing all it could to care for the massive number of uprooted people."Around 2.3 million people have been displaced but this number is not final," he said.The newly-displaced join more than 550,000 people who fled similar battles last year and rights groups have warned that it is Pakistan's biggest movement of people since partition from India in 1947.