Aeon
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Flood duties to affect terror war, US told -- DAWN.com
Thursday, 26 Aug, 2010
WASHINGTON: Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has informed the United States that the deployment of his troops on flood duties could affect their effort to secure the Pak-Afghan border, says a senior US general.
Marine Corps commander Gen James Conway, who returned from a visit to Pakistan last week, observed that the Pakistani leadership was consumed with responding to the aftermath of the flood disaster.
Gen Kayani cautioned me that the involvement of his army in the flood relief will for a time detract from their efforts to secure the Pakistani frontier, he said.
The US, he said, not only realized the seriousness of the situation but was also doing its best to help its Pakistani allies.
Gen Conway said that since Aug 12, he had deployed 2,200 Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit to help Pakistan.
Eight CH-46s and four CH-53s helicopters from his command had evacuated 3,075 people and delivered more than 650,000 pounds of cargo, he said.
Another Marine Expeditionary Unit, 26-MEU, leaves the US on Thursday to contribute to the disaster relief, and should be off the coast of Pakistan by mid-to-late-September.
We offered an amazing capability here. We offered to have the aircraft self-deploy all the way to Pakistan from the eastern coast of the United States, Gen Conway said.
The new commander of the US Central Command wanted some long-term capacity in the area to help the Pakistanis, said Gen Conway, while explaining why Marine expeditionary units were sent to that area.
The general noted that the decision to commit some Marines from Afghanistan strips US commanders in that country of their capability to respond elsewhere in theatre but Washington decided to commit them because it believed Pakistan needed immediate support.
Thursday, 26 Aug, 2010
WASHINGTON: Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has informed the United States that the deployment of his troops on flood duties could affect their effort to secure the Pak-Afghan border, says a senior US general.
Marine Corps commander Gen James Conway, who returned from a visit to Pakistan last week, observed that the Pakistani leadership was consumed with responding to the aftermath of the flood disaster.
Gen Kayani cautioned me that the involvement of his army in the flood relief will for a time detract from their efforts to secure the Pakistani frontier, he said.
The US, he said, not only realized the seriousness of the situation but was also doing its best to help its Pakistani allies.
Gen Conway said that since Aug 12, he had deployed 2,200 Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit to help Pakistan.
Eight CH-46s and four CH-53s helicopters from his command had evacuated 3,075 people and delivered more than 650,000 pounds of cargo, he said.
Another Marine Expeditionary Unit, 26-MEU, leaves the US on Thursday to contribute to the disaster relief, and should be off the coast of Pakistan by mid-to-late-September.
We offered an amazing capability here. We offered to have the aircraft self-deploy all the way to Pakistan from the eastern coast of the United States, Gen Conway said.
The new commander of the US Central Command wanted some long-term capacity in the area to help the Pakistanis, said Gen Conway, while explaining why Marine expeditionary units were sent to that area.
The general noted that the decision to commit some Marines from Afghanistan strips US commanders in that country of their capability to respond elsewhere in theatre but Washington decided to commit them because it believed Pakistan needed immediate support.
