More than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled a remote area in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border amid uncertainty over a possible military operation against the Pakistani Taliban, residents and officials said on Tuesday.

The displacement has focused on the Tirah area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where residents have been leaving their homes for weeks fearing a potential military offensive.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif denied the claims, saying there was no military operation under way or planned in the area.

Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, Asif said harsh weather conditions, rather than military action, had prompted residents to move.