They are scrambling to leave any way they can - on foot, in cars, their personal belongings packed hastily.

Thousands of civilians continue to flee Pakistan's South Waziristan region as a fresh military offensive against the Taliban on the Afghan border, entered its third day. In the last few days, about 20,000 people have left the region. And up to 200,000 more are expected to flee in coming days.

But this time the civilian exodus is not expected to produce a humanitarian crisis on the scale of the one earlier this year, when about 2 million people fled military operations in the Swat Valley.

Pakistan officials say around 14,500 refugees have already been registered in camps for displaced people. The mood at the camps though is grim.

[Haji Noor Mohammad, Displaced]:
"The Taliban will leave here but they will reappear elsewhere."

Meanwhile, Pakistan's army announced that since the new operations against the Taliban started on Saturday, the army had killed 78 militants and lost nine soldiers.

Pakistan's Information Minister, Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, ruled out any chances of a negotiation now that the offensive is underway.

[Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, Pakistani Information Minister]:
"For negotiated settlement, there's only one way. They should surrender their arms before the law-enforcement agencies, they should surrender themselves. And then, if there is any justified need, a justified dialogue and discussion, that can be made but not at this stage."

About 28,000 soldiers are currently battling an estimated 10,000 Taliban militants on the Afghan border.