Thousands of fearful civilians _ many on foot or donkey-pulled carts _ streamed out of a conflict-ridden Pakistani valley on Sunday as authorities lifted a curfew and fighting between the military and the Taliban eased. Pakistan has urged residents of the Swat Valley to leave over the past week, while its warplanes have pounded the militant-held region in a U.S.-backed operation the prime minister has called a «war of the country's survival.» Hundreds of thousands have already fled, seeking refuge with relatives or flooding relief clamps _ adding a humanitarian crisis, Associated Press reported. As soon as the curfew was lifted early Sunday, more residents in Swat towns tried to get out any way they could _ on motorbikes, animal-pulled carts, rickshaws or simply on foot. A ban on civilian vehicles entering the valley complicated the exodus for those without cars. Officials said the curfew would be back on by late afternoon or early evening; there were conflicting reports about the exact time.
