One million flee fighting

From correspondents in Islamabad
Agence France-Presse

May 17, 2009 12:15am

(News.com) -MORE than 1.1 million people have fled fighting between Pakistani government forces and the Taliban in the northwest of the country during the last two weeks, the UN refugee chief said.
"We have registered since May 2, 1,171,000 displaced persons,'' UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said.

The figure was a leap of more than 183,860 people registered since Friday evening, as desperate families pile onto trucks and tractors, or stream on foot out of the three worst-affected districts to hastily set up camps.

They join another 500,000 people who fled bouts of fighting in the northwest last year, where extremist Taliban militants have been fighting to gain control and impose a harsh brand of Islamic law.