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Islamabad: The US has provided emergency assistance to Pakistanis displaced by an army operation against militants in a northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan, embassy officials said on Wednesday.
Local authorities have said more than 200,000 people have fled Bajur, the primary focus of the nearly two-week-old offensive, and the neighbouring Mohmand tribal area. Many have landed in relief camps set up by the government and political parties.
"We are working alongside the Pakistani and provincial governments to get emergency aid to those in need," said US ambassador Anne W. Patterson, adding that US$50,000 had been set aside for gas stoves, pots, utensils and plastic sheeting.
The supplies are intended to help those "displaced by the fighting survive until it is safe for them to return to their homes," she said.
Bajur is considered a potential hiding place for Osama bin Laden and Al Qaida Number 2 Ayman Al Zawahri. About 480 people have been killed in the fighting so far, according to Pakistani officials. That figure, offered last week, included suspected insurgents and just 22 paramilitary troops, whereas witnesses in the region also have reported civilian deaths.
The numbers and scope of the offensive have been difficult to confirm because of the remote and dangerous nature of the area and the reluctance of officials to divulge details.
The US aid indicated American officials were watching the situation with growing concern. But it also came as Washington seeks to strengthen its ties to the new ruling coalition, which this week managed to force longtime US ally Pervez Musharraf to quit as president.
The US also has pushed Pakistan to root out insurgents from the tribal areas, and has frowned on its attempts to seek peace deals with militants.
The spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment on the US aid package.
Pakistani army helicopter gunships and jets have been pounding militant positions in Bajur since the fighting broke out August 6, when scores of insurgents attacked a military outpost.
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