U.S. prepares for operation to aid Pakistan

Published Oct. 9, 2006
By Senior Airman J.G. Buzanowski
Combined Joint Task Force-76 Public Affairs

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A joint team of Airmen and Soldiers are in Pakistan preparing for Operation Promise Keeping, a follow-up mission to aid the people in remote northern parts of the country, which was devastated by an earthquake last year.

On October 8, 2005, the disaster, which measured a 7.6 on the Richter Scale and centered roughly 60 miles northeast from here, left more than 73,000 people dead, 128,000 injured and 3.4 million homeless.

Two days later, a coalition of several nations formed Operation Lifeline, providing much-needed relief to the people in dire need of food, water, shelter and medical care until the operation's conclusion in March 2006.

Operation Promise Keeping picks up where Lifeline left off, bringing rebuilding supplies to the people as they prepare for the winter months near the Himalaya Mountains . According to a release from the U.S. Embassy here, the United States has pledged $206 million in earthquake reconstruction assistance to Pakistan over the next four years.

Since October 3, Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft, assigned to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, began bringing supplies to Islamabad International Airport.

Together with Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters, the air crews are bringing the materials, including more than 10,000 sheets of corrugated iron for homes in the Allai and Kaghan valleys.

Several members of the Chinook air and maintenance crews were here for Operation Lifeline, bringing their efforts for Promise Keeping full circle, according to Army Warrant Officer 3 John Roberts, a Chinook pilot/commander and Reservist deployed from Ft. Lewis, Washington.

"We're back and we're here to help," he said. "We're here to show the Pakistanis that America has not abandoned them and is still their friend."

Last year, the people in the earthquake-affected areas came to refer to the Chinook crews as "Angels of Mercy" because of the quick and efficient response they provided.

"Pakistan is one of the most important partners in the global war on terrorism, especially in Operation Enduring Freedom," said Roberts. "Taliban and other fighters are all over the mountains on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan . When the Pakistanis see that America is an ally and we help them when they're in need, then the Taliban has no place to go. You sure don't see the Taliban helping people in northern Pakistan ."