The European Union on Thursday announced 5.5 million euros ($7.5 million) in emergency humanitarian aid for hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by the ongoing military offensive against Taliban militants in northwestern Pakistan.
"As a result of the intensified fighting in Swat and other parts of the country, Pakistan is facing not only a security threat but also a humanitarian threat," European Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel said Thursday.
"Pakistani authorities are doing their utmost but their relief capacities are now overstretched," he said, adding that the EU will provide additional 5.5 million euros in aid to Pakistan to tackle the crisis, "if necessary." He said that the additional aid would be distributed through NGOs and UN agencies.
Separately, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, on Thursday called for massive international contributions for assisting the civilians displaced by the fighting in northwestern Pakistan. He warned that the displaced population could contribute to instability if they do not receive help soon.
"If you are not able to cope with the challenges posed by such an overwhelming number of people displaced, in communities that have not the economic capacity to absorb them, and if the very serious humanitarian response is not organized, this population will become a huge factor of destabilization," he said.
Speaking to reporters after visiting makeshift camps for the displaced by the conflict in the Swat valley, Guterres pointed out the UN has already registered 800,000 Pakistani civilians who have fled the fighting. However, officials say that the actual numbers could be higher as not all fleeing the fighting would have registered with the authorities.
His remarks came as the Pakistani military intensified its offensive against the Taliban militants in the Swat and the Dir and Buner districts. Pakistani military said Thursday that its forces have killed at least 44 militants over the past 24 hours in various operations in the country's troubled northwestern region.
Currently, the Pakistani military has deployed over 15,000 ground troops in the region to eliminate the militants there, and attack helicopters and warplanes are supporting the operation. The army claims that over 750 Taliban militants have been killed in the offensive since it was launched last week.
With the military's offensive in the Swat Valley gaining momentum, tens of thousands of residents of the valley continue to flee the region to camps arranged by the government for internally displaced persons (IDP) over fears that the ongoing military offensive could lead to the collapse of the peace deal reached earlier between Islamabad and Taliban militants in the Valley.
The army's offensive against the militants in the country's northwestern region came after the U.S. administration urged Islamabad to take on the Taliban militants it considers responsible for the escalating violence in Pakistan and in neighboring Afghanistan.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com