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Thousands flee North Waziristan region on last day of evacuation
[DAWN] Residents of North  Wazoo have until the end of Monday to leave the remote mountainous North Waziristan tribal region ahead of a widely anticipated major ground offensive by the army against Islamist bad boys.At least 430,000 people have fled the region into nearby areas of Pakistain as well as neighbouring Afghanistan, the biggest movement of refugees in Pakistain in years. "Today is the last day for the people to leave the tribal region," a military official told Rooters by telephone from the North Waziristan capital of Miranshah ... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministatein centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas... . "The curfew will be then imposed and preparations made for the ground offensive." Many of those who stayed behind, their number is unknown, said they could not afford to pay for cars to take them to safer places such as Bannu, a dusty town on the edge of the region, where most refugees have settled. "Those who could afford it have left the tribal region, but some are still there and could die in the fighting as they don't have any means to come out of Waziristan," Zakirullah Khan said after arriving in Bannu. Posted by: Fred 2014-06-24 |
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