TIMERGARAH, 21 August 2008 (IRIN) - Mohammad Jameel, aged around 30, along with his extended family of 35 people, is among thousands of local residents forced to flee their village in the restive Bajaur tribal agency, north of Peshawar. The rate of displacements has picked up since last week, when the Pakistani authorities launched a military operation against pro-Taliban militants in the area, say residents. About 400,000 people have left their homes and found refuge in Lower Dir, according to more...

In this paper Robert Cohen from the Brookings Institute argues that "UNHCR
must be given the authority and means to
expand its role with IDPs, and international
police and military capacity must
be strengthened to defend their physical
safety."

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, established by the Norwegian Refugee Council, monitors conflict-induced internal displacement worldwide at the request of the United Nations.
The Geneva-based Centre runs an online database providing comprehensive and regularly updated information and analysis on internal displacement in some 50 countries.