By DPA,
Islamabad : Children at an orphanage in Pakistan’s restive district of Swat were Wednesday caught in crossfire between the security forces and Taliban militants, the administrator of the facility said.
Mohammad Ali said the military troops took positions on the roof of the four-storey building of “Our Home” orphanage, located in Swat’s main town Mingora, Tuesday and were targeting militants from there.
“The lives of the children are at risk. Taliban have not so far fired upon the building, but it can happen anytime,” Ali told DPA by telephone.
According to Ali, more than 150 children had been evacuated to relative safety, but 80 others were still on the ground floor of the building along with some staffers.
Clashes in Swat, once a popular tourist destination, resumed earlier this week as the peace deal between the government and insurgents crumbled.
Thousands of residents have fled the scenic valley, some 140 km northwest of capital Islamabad.
Around 40 female students of the Saidu Sharif medical college were also stuck in their campus hostel along with the institution’s staff in the wake of an indefinite curfew.
“Our foremost demand is that the curfew should be relaxed so that we can return home safely,” a student told the Geo News television channel from the college.
The student said water and food supplies were running out in the college. Power was also snapped after militants attacked the grid station in Mingora.