U.N. Urges Help For Pakistan War Refugees

World Body Says $543M Needed To Ease "Incredible Suffering" Of Displaced In Battle Against Taliban

(CBS/AP)  The United Nations appealed Friday for $543 million to ease the "incredible suffering" of nearly 2 million refugees from Pakistan's war against Taliban militants.

The world body said the money was urgently needed to fund some 165 projects drawn up by U.N. agencies and aid groups to assist civilians fleeing the conflict centered on the northwestern Swat Valley.

"The scale of this displacement is extraordinary in terms of size and speed and has caused incredible suffering," Martin Mogwanja, the acting U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Pakistan, said in a statement.

"We are calling for generous support from the international community," he said.

An estimated 1.9 million people have fled the fighting in Swat and two neighboring districts since the army launched an offensive last month to halt a Taliban advance toward the capital, Islamabad, following intense U.S. pressure for action against the insurgents. More than 160,000 are staying in sweltering camps just south of the battle zone; the rest have been taken in by relatives.

The government said Thursday that foreign donors had already pledged $224 million to help the displaced. It was unclear if those funds would count toward the total sought by the U.N.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday the United States was sending $110 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Pakistan, part of the administration's new strategy for countering the appeal of Taliban militants in the nuclear-armed American ally.

Clinton detailed the aid package at the White House, saying the money is flowing to ease the plight of the refugees from Swat Valley.

The army claims it has killed more than 1,000 militants and won back swaths of territory in the Swat region. But it faces stiff resistance from up to 5,000 fighters and has ventured no prediction of when the Taliban will be defeated.

According to the Pentagon, it is the largest operation ever by the Pakistani military, and it's exactly what the U.S. has been calling for to counter the surge of Islamic extremism in the country, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin, but the refugee crisis has been an unwelcome side effect.

On Thursday, Pakistan's army said five soldiers and an unspecified number of Taliban were killed in battles in several parts of the valley during the previous 24 hours. Seven militants were captured, a military statement said.

In another part of the border region, a suicide car bomber attacked a paramilitary fort in the town of Jandola, killing four soldiers and four civilians, officials said.

[mnbrant]

Heh looked for a place to go donate and there is none. I even clicked on a donate button on an article about pakistan refugees and got a site promoting breast cancer. I even went to the Pakistani Red Crescent site and they don't even have anything directly targeting the refugees. There are a lot of sites willing to take your money with no promise of helping Pakistan refugees. Geeze I gotta keep my 10 bucks til they get this worked out.

[mnbrant]

543 million? I got 10 bucks. I didn't give that much to Obama and he still managed to win.

[Hermit1948]

DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY MONEY. And get us out of there (and everywhere else) now!

[promaclaura]

Hmmm.... was this request directed at Russia and China, how about Venezuela? Oh that's right, these countries are the "friends" of "extremist" Governments. Making a buck off the backs of those they oppress, why should they care what happens to non-Taliban Pakistanis? The U.N. seems to enjoy condemning the U.S., then picking our pockets as they do squat to address the very countries that "help/support" the dictators that cause the chaos in the first place.

[promaclaura]

U.N. Urges Help For Pakistan War Refugees
World Body Says $543M Needed To Ease "Incredible Suffering" Of Displaced In Battle Against Taliban

-This is "code" talk for the U.N., it's meaning is "bend over some more U.S., and hand over your money" as we all know how pathetic the rest of the world is.

[sjc_1]

"Pakistan's war against Taliban militants."

This is the real deal folks. These are the bad guys we should have eliminated after 9/11. Now the new government of Pakistan is trying to take their country back and we should help them in every way we can!

[edward1975-2009]

We should urge the UN to vacate our shores and take up residency else where, these "diplomats" are spineless and toothless and this organization is outdated. Their time has come and gone. Time to fade away and take your diplomatic immunity with you.

[hungry1968-15]

$543 million needed ,we offer $110M

Pakistan military:,,,"ventured no guess as to when the
Taliban will be defeated."

All Obama,,,,
Posted by ajjaxtheleast at 3:58 AM : May 22, 2009





So you think that we should pay the entire amount, and none of the other member nations that are in the UN, should have to pay anything?

How is the Taliban living in Pakistan "Obama's fault", and why should we alone, pay the full price?

[hungry1968-15]

Then why don't the Pakistani people GET RID of the taliban THEMSELVES? Noooo.... it's more important for the "men" to run around flogging 13-year old little girls! ( no danger in that, huh? )
Posted by demongirl60 at 1:57 AM : May 22, 2009





Think about it......

How do you expect a bunch of unarmed goat ranchers and opium farmers, to take on one of the most brutal terrorist groups, loaded to bear with all forms of weapons, ammo, bombs, missiles, etc, etc, etc?


"If you don't like the crime in your state, why don't you just go out and catch all the criminals?"


Now do you see how dumb it sounds?

[edward1975-2009]

This is the residual affect of allowing these extremist groups to operate within your borders. Eventually they turn on you. This has been the history of how these groups operate. They are cowards whose words mean nothing. They claim to only want to live in peace, but that just isn't the case. These groups only purpose is to kill all who see things differently than they do, no matter their age, they use woman and children to achieve their cowardly acts of violence. They are cowards of the worst kind.

[ajjaxtheleast]

"Under intense pressure from the United sSates,,,,"

"Under intense pressure from the United states,,,,"

"Under intense pressure from the United States,,,,"

Two million people,,,,,"incredible suffering"

"Displacement is extraordinary in terms of size and speed"

Pentagon;,,,"exactly what the U.S. has been calling for,,,"

Pentagon:,,,"an unwelcome side effect."

$543 million needed ,we offer $110M

Pakistan military:,,,"ventured no guess as to when the
Taliban will be defeated."

All Obama,,,,

[ftsumner1]

Well, you must understand the complexity of the political situation in Pakistan. No leader can have but a precarious hold on power because there are too many opposing factions. What we consider to be the radicals aren't all 'cleared out' because the people wouldn't stand for it, and the situation would become even less stable. The fact that nuclear weapons are part of the mix endangers everyone - yes, you and your family members, too. Pakistan is not the only country in the region with such weapons, and any nuclear conflict there makes a global conflict possible, if not probable. Now, a suicidal moron would say "I don't care, we could nuke them all." That's a common attitude of beer-drinking pot-bellied halfwits in the US. They conveniently forget that we can't even fully subdue an almost unarmed Iraq and Afghanistan, so nuclear conflict would be the only option there, and it is unwinnable. We have to look for different, and more effective, ways of dealing with foes. And we have to remember that all of our foes have been our friends at some time - and usually AFTER we fought a destructive war with them. America is in dire need of thinkers now, and fortunately our president seems to be one.

[demongirl60]

Then why don't the Pakistani people GET RID of the taliban THEMSELVES? Noooo.... it's more important for the "men" to run around flogging 13-year old little girls! ( no danger in that, huh? )