Militants end pact over US drone attacks

Militants in northwestern Pakistan have scrapped a peace deal with the government and threatened to open a new front against the army.

The military says it is nearing the end of an offensive in the Swat region, and is set to launch an assault on Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan on the Afghan border.

The offensive in Swat was launched two months ago after Taliban fighters thrust towards the capital, raising alarm both at home and internationally.

The militant faction, which is allied with Baitullah Mehsud in North Waziristan, said it was ending a pact with the government because of ongoing US drone aircraft attacks,

'Our leadership has decided that as long as US drone attacks continue and security forces stay here, there will be no peace agreement,' faction spokesman Ahmedullah Ahmedi said by telephone from an undisclosed location.

The US has launched more than 40 attacks by pilotless drones in northwest Pakistan since the beginning of last year, many in North Waziristan.

Pakistan officially objects to the attacks, saying they drive the population into the arms of the militants. US officials say the strikes are carried out under an agreement that allows Pakistani leaders to decry them in public.

Meanwhile, the UN children's fund has made an urgent appeal for more international funding to support the displaced civilian population in the region.

About 2m people have fled their homes to escape fighting between the army and militants and UNICEF has described the situation as dire.

UNICEF's head of global emergencies, Louis-Georges Arsenault, said refugee camps are overflowing ahead of the monsoon rains and the planting season for farmers.