200,000 flee South Waziristan as Pak Army steps up offensive India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Around 200,000 people have reportedly abandoned their homes in South Waziristan as the Pakistan Army has stepped up its offensive in the region, an army spokesman said on Monday. Colonel Waseem Shahid, a spokesman for the army's special support group, was quoted by a foreign news agency as saying that 26,165 families have been registered so far. He said that the cricket stadium in Dera Ismail Khan has been converted into a hub of registration and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are being facilitated. Cash assistance of 5,000 rupees (60 dollars) will be given to each displaced family every month as non-food support, officials have said. Meanwhile, the army has claimed that it has killed 19 more militants and lost six soldiers during the last 24 hours.