Nearly 100 Pakistanis flee to Afghanistan as government intensifies offensive against militants

Nearly 100 people have crossed into Afghanistan from northern Pakistan, a UN spokesperson said on Friday, as the Pakistani government is mulling a full-scale offensive to root out Islamist militants in its restive northern tribal region. "District officials in Pakistan's North Waziristan report that nearly 20,000 people, mostly women and children, have been displaced since February 20 because of military operations in the area, " Xinhua quoted Martin Nesirky, citing reports of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "The majority of displaced people urgently need access to adequate food, shelter and health care," he said.