UN Says 100,000 Flee Fighting In Pakistan's Northwest

A young man stands weeping near a wall damaged by shrapnel from a bomb attack in Peshawar in January.

The United Nations refugee agency says more than 100,000 people have fled fighting between Pakistani government troops and Taliban or Al-Qaeda-linked militants in northwest Pakistan since January 20.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said that 101,160 people, mostly women and children, have been displaced since January 20, when government troops launched security operations against militant groups in the Khyber tribal district.

The agency said a recent increase in the intensity of the fighting in Khyber has forced families to flee the region to the safety of the nearby Jalozai camp close to Peshawar, the capital of Kyhber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Experts say up to 10 million Pakistanis have been displaced by natural disasters and fighting across the country in recent years.

With reporting by AFP