‘NATO troops to stay for short term’

ISLAMABAD—Vice Admiral John Stufflebeem, Commander of the NATO mission has said the team is solely focused on supporting Pakistani authorities and those bringing relief supplies and aid capabilities to the affected regions.
“This is a short term relief mission and we are acting quickly to meet the needs of a great many people affected by this disaster,” said the Admiral in a statement.
“In addition to the aid bridge which continues to move relief into the country, we are working to provide additional capabilities including medical teams, engineers, and water purification specialists”, he said.
NATO’s mobile headquarters, sent to Islamabad to assist in relief efforts following the October 8 earthquake, became fully operational on Wednesday.
Operating initially from facilities in Islamabad provided by the British High Commission, the Deployed Joint Task Force disaster relief team is coordinating NATO relief activities with Pakistani authorities to direct urgently needed capabilities to areas where they can do the most good.
Meanwhile, the NATO Alliance continues to operate air bridges from mainland Europe and Turkey to transport supplies donated by NATO member and partner nations and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Trainer and Cargo Aircraft (TCA) from NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control Force at Geilenkirchen, Germany continue to arrive in Islamabad carrying thousands of blankets, beds and tents. Over the next few days, further NATO flights are also planned from the U.S. air base at Ramstein, Germany. In addition, eleven C-130 Hercules from the NATO Response Force deployed to Turkey are also moving supplies into Islamabad. Several additional aircraft are on call at their home bases.
NATO’s expanded efforts in Pakistan follow large-scale aid already being provided by individual NATO nations, beginning shortly after the disaster. All offers from NATO and partner nations are being coordinated by the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC), which is working in conjunction with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the European Union and the Embassy of Pakistan in Brussels.—Online