A US-based rights group on Thursday urged Pakistan to ensure that sufficient supplies reach civilians trapped by a massive anti-Taliban offensive, warning of "catastrophe" without aid access. Pakistan launched a ground and air operation designed to crush Taliban sanctuaries in the lawless South Waziristan region, which borders Afghanistan, on October 17 and fears have been growing about the impact on the local population.
"People trying to get away from the fighting are already reporting civilian casualties and food shortages," Ali Dayan Hasan, senior South Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement. "The approaching winter is only going to make a bad situation worse, especially for those left behind, unless aid reaches them." HRW called on both the military and Taliban militants to take all necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties, and to allow humanitarian relief agencies and independent monitors access to the area.
Pakistan's armed forces and Taliban militants are obliged to abide by international humanitarian law, it said. "If the aid agencies can't reach the people trapped in the fighting, it could be a catastrophe," Hasan said. HRW has received reports of civilian deaths and the destruction of property during the military's current operations, the statement said.
Around 30,000 troops are taking part in the offensive against an estimated 10-12,000 militants in the semi-autonomous and lawless tribal belt. Relief workers say more than 200,000 people have been displaced by the fighting.
The military says 264 militants and 31 soldiers have been killed, but the information cannot be confirmed independently because the area is a closed combat zone. The army has said nothing about civilian casualties. Numerous previous offensives in the tribal belt have had limited success, costing the lives of 2,000 troops and ending generally with peace agreements that critics say gave the insurgents a chance to re-arm.
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