NATO concludes operations in quake areas
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (
Speaking at a joint news conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, NATO Ambassador Maurits Jochems and Relief Team Commander Air Commodore Andy Walton said that the NATO forces had successfully completed their mission. They said that the NATO forces were leaving Pakistan with fond memories, and expressed gratitude to the Pakistani government and armed forces for their support in carrying out relief operations. They appreciated the “effective” Pakistani leadership for tackling the disaster with “patience and great courage”, and extending all possible support to relief teams from the world over. They said that it was a matter of satisfaction for NATO that local people encouraged them, recognised their services and extended remarkable hospitality.
They said that NATO was the single largest contributor to the air bridge established by several countries to supply relief goods to the quake-affected areas. “NATO flew 18,000 tents, 50,000 blankets, 32,000 mattresses, 50,000 sleeping bags, 17,000 stoves and a huge quantity of medicines to the affected areas,” they said. They said that NATO forces established a field hospital in Bagh and helped clear roads and remove debris. They also rebuilt schools in the Bagh area.
NATO also set up an aviation fuel farm at Abbottabad, which handled about 25 helicopters daily, the NATO representatives said.
The NATO ambassador said that the organisation’s operation in Pakistan was its largest humanitarian assistance project outside its member countries, and was entirely for humanitarian purposes. He said that although the operation was costly, “it cannot not be measured against human sentiments”.
Inter Services Public Relations Director General Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan thanked NATO for its assistance for the earthquake victims.
He said that the scheduled withdrawal of NATO forces had proved wrong apprehensions that the organisation had ulterior motives in sending the relief force.
Source: Daily Times
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.