Washington (PTI): The number of Pakistanis fleeing to Afghanistan following the violence in the country has risen to 10,000, the US military has said. About 10,000 Pakistanis moved across the border and integrated into the health care system that existed in the provinces of Khost and Paktia, Army Col Jeffery Johnson, the US command surgeon in eastern Afghanistan, told a Pentagon press conference via video conference from Afghanistan on Tuesday.

"That was really a response to some of the turmoil that was taking place inside Pakistan and the people there understood that their lives potentially could be better if they were in Afghanistan," he said.

"It's very interesting from our perspective, because, again, the Afghans have the lead... They were able to take care of almost all of the needs of those who came across the border over the last couple of months," the top Pentagon official said. Pakistan has been witnessing a spurt in violence ahead of the general elections, results of which were announced yesterday.

"We see ourselves, from the US military standpoint, as really being the third-line agent where assistance would come from. That second-line agent is the United Nations, and the UNHCR does a wonderful job at managing populations that are displaced inside of the country here," Col Johnson added.