Military operation against the militants in a Pakistani tribal region will displace nearly 600, 000 people, an international aid agency said on Thursday.

Save the Children estimates that over 600,000 people in total will be displaced from the Khyber agency if security operations continue, of which over 300,000 are expected to be children.

The recent influx of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from the region began in January and intensified in mid-March as operations in the area increased. Since then, approximately 63,000 families have been displaced and moved to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The recently displaced families join an estimated total of 144, 104 displaced families from previous conflicts in the area, which have been ongoing since 2009.

According to United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), approximately 1,200 individuals are currently being registered at the Jalozai camp daily compared to up to 10,000 during mid-March.

Government authorities anticipate that the IDPs will remain displaced till the end of the year, thereby requiring humanitarian aid for the newly displaced people.

Only 28 percent of the Humanitarian Operational Plan (HOP) devised last year for addressing the needs of displaced communities from FATA has been raised to date.

Continued funding shortfalls will result in severe constraints on the ability of humanitarian agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to the affected population, Save the Children said in its update.

Over 90 percent of new IDPs are staying off-camp, living in rented spaces or with host families. It is imperative to assist the off-camp IDPs, as very limited relief services are reaching them.

As most IDPs are women and children who belong to a conservative culture, they are unwilling to live in camps and many are unable to access relief services. IDPs living with host communities say that they don't expect to go home within the next twelve months.

As host communities struggle to cope with the influx of IDPs, local media is reporting that the security operation in Khyber Agency is intensifying and more people are fleeing their homes in search of safety.

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