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25,000 Pakistanis Flee Fighting Near Afghan Border


The UN says some 25,000 Pakistani villagers have fled military operations against Islamist militants in a tribal region near the Afghan border.

Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said that as many as 90,000 people could be driven from their homes by the end of the month should fighting intensify.

He said that many of the displaced arrived with "little more than the clothes on their backs" at two newly constructed UN camps. Earlier on February 4, Pakistan's government representative for the border region, Roshan Khan Mehsud, said new military operations began on January 27 in Mohmand, involving aerial bombing, artillery, and ground troops.

He said nearly 100 insurgents have been killed so far, with "some casualties" on the army side. He did not mention civilian casualties.

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