More than 2 million refugees have poured out of Swat Valley, displaced from their homes as the Pakistan army launched a massive military operation against the Taliban. Overnight, Pakistanis living in the "Switzerland of the East" find themselves homeless in their own country, and fleeing a war they do not want. Independent photojournalist Edwin Koo makes a journey into Pakistan's SWAT Valley to document the lives of refugees caught between the conflict, entering their make-shift homes to reveal the intimate lives that must continue despite the adversity.

 

Photographer: Edwin Koo

*Edwin Koo's "Paradise Lost: The Fallout of the Swat Valley" is now available on iTunes. Grab a copy today.

 

Many people in tent villages have been suffering from heat-related ailments, as Swat Valley's average temperature is at least 30 degrees Celsius.

 

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Homeless and on the run in Pakistan's paradise

A Muslim woman coos her baby to sleep in a church in Mardan. The Pashtun women need privacy and refugee camps are too open.

Students stage an anti-war protest against the government following increasing civilian deaths due to the Swat Valley operations against the Taliban.

Sumera, 5 fled with her extended family of 40 from Swat to Islamabad on a truck. They all pooled their money to rent two houses, but have no more money to buy food.

Davinder Singh, 18 was hit by a stray bullet as he fled with his family from Swat Valley. He endured the pain for 4 days before receiving treatment at Hasanabdal.

Farmer Aqal Wasir, 45 stares at the tent city of Shah Mansoor, in Swabi. He fled from Chaktara with his wife and seven children, the youngest less than a year old.

Wives and widows of former soldiers protest against Swat operations. Many accuse the government of unfair dismissal, and even abduction of soldiers who were suspected of having links with extremists in the past two years.

Neelam, 8 plays with a baby bird she found near Sheikh Yasin camp, where she and her family of eight are staying after fleeing Mingora, Swat.