Bannu, Pakistan (CNN) -- The road to Bannu city in the northwest of Pakistan is a journey through the elements. Harsh wind and rain make way for bursts of sunshine in June, a month of typically oppressive heat when illnesses such as diarrhea and typhoid are common, alongside the ever-looming specter of polio. It is in this stifling heat that hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are fleeing their homes in North Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan, to Bannu and other neighboring regions. The mass exodus began after the Pakistani army launched a full scale offensive against militants on June 15 called Zarb e Azb, or "The Strike of The Prophet's Sword."
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Hundreds queue in stifling heat for food after fleeing North Waziristan
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Families fled after Pakistani military launched offensive against militants
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Government has been criticized for imposing curfew, not warning locals to leave
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Strong army presence overseeing crowded World Food Program distribution points
While the Pakistan army has been releasing a daily stream of information regarding the operation, it has come under severe criticism for failing to notify the residents of @placeholder of an impending operation.