Manuel Bessler, head of the U.N.'s Office for Coordinating Humanitarian Affairs in Pakistan, tells VOA that many civilians have fled the area.

VOA: standard.2009.10.17

"Last year ... 4 million people worldwide lost their homes, out of which you have half a million displaced in Pakistan, " said Manuel Bessler, a top U.N. official in Islamabad.

CNN: Displaced Pakistanis crowd camps as they flee fighting