Thousands flee latest Pakistan offensive

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 8 (UPI) -- Pakistan's Swat Valley offensive against the Taliban is threatening to become one of the world's biggest displacement crises, the United Nations said.

U.N. officials said the fighting has displaced about 200,000 people and another 300,000 are on the move or about to flee, the BBC reported.

Aid workers said many people were forced to leave with very little preparation.

Residents fled Mingora, the main town in the Swat Valley, which was home to several hundred thousand people before the latest fighting began.

Families are becoming separated and doctors in displaced camps report many people are suffering psychological damage.

The full-scale offensive, which began Friday, had jets and helicopters pounding Taliban targets in the valley.

A military spokesman said government troops had killed more than 140 militants.

Local residents said most of the fighting is centered in the Kabal and Charbagh areas of Swat, as well as Mingora.