Pakistan's military says troops are closing in on a key Taliban-held
town in the northwest, as the United Nations confirmed more than a
million people have been displaced in two weeks of fighting.
Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said Saturday that security
forces were approaching Mingora, the main town in Swat Valley, in an
effort to intercept militants trying to flee the area.
The U.N. refugee agency says more than a million people have fled the
area, since the military launched its offensive to stop Taliban
militants who violated a peace deal and advanced to within 100
kilometers from the capital.
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres on Saturday called
for massive support, including millions of dollars, to help the
displaced.
Elsewhere in Pakistan's northwest, a car bomb exploded in the city of
Peshawar, killing at least 11 people, including children.
Several others were injured in Saturday's blast that also hit a passing school bus.