Civilian exodus from Swat ( snaps)

[LahoreEstate]

Caught between the Pakistani military and their Taliban militant foes, thousands of civilians are fleeing from fighting in the northwest Swat valley. Residents of the area report that they are equally afraid of combatants from both sides. The Swat Taliban - led by Fazlullah - have been in the spotlight in recent weeks for their feared arbitrary justice epitomised by fundamentalist 'courts' and vigilante slayings. Meanwhile, government forces have attracted criticism due to their indiscriminate airstrikes and shelling of civilian homes. (Photos by Sherin Zada of the Associated Press)


A youngster sits beside his belongings as he waits for his parents to cross a river as they flee from a troubled area in Imam Dheri near Mingora, the main town of Swat Valley, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Sherin Zada)


A family carry their belongings as they flee from an area of the troubled Swat Valley, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Sherin Zada)


Local residents carry a woman, injured in the fighting between security forces and militants, as they flee from an area of the troubled Swat Valley, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Sherin Zada)


A man carries his elderly mother on his back as they flee from an area of the troubled Swat Valley, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Sherin Zada)


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