Pano Aqil, Pakistan Disaster Relief

Photo By Capt. Paul Duncan | Aerial view of flood damage shot from an HMM-165 Reinforced, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit Sea Knight (CH-46E) helicopter during humanitarian assistance efforts in the southern Pakistan region.  

PANO AQIL, PAKISTAN

09.05.2010

Story by Capt. Paul Duncan 

15th Marine Expeditionary Unit

PANO AQIL, Pakistan – Marines and Sailors of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit continue relief efforts in southern Pakistan.

Marines and Sailors of HMM-165 Reinforced, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, have begun distributing relief supplies in Pano Aqil, Pakistan during humanitarian relief efforts in the Southern region.

Marine helicopters from HMM-165 (REIN) began transitioning from northern Pakistan to the south to bolster relief efforts Aug. 2 and began flight operations the next day.

“The relief efforts have been going very well in the northern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, so at the request of the Pakistani government we have set up an additional operations hub in Pano Aqil, Pakistan, to assist flood victims in the southern regions,” said Rear Admiral Sinclair Harris, commanding officer of the U.S. military’s Task Force South-Pakistan. “Having flown with the Marines in this region, I have witnessed first-hand how dire the need is and we intend to continue cooperating with the Pakistani Army to do whatever the Pakistani government deems necessary,” explained the 51-year-old Washington, D.C. native.

Four Sea Knight (CH-46E) helicopters have been flown into the Pano Aqil cantonement to begin the delivery of relief supplies in the southern region of Pakistan. Four Super Stallion (CH-53E) helicopters from the 26th MEU will be arriving Aug. 6.

“Working together, the U.S. and Pakistani military have delivered 3,771,501 pounds of humanitarian supplies to Pakistani flood victims, and moved 11,969 evacuees from the affected areas since Aug. 5,” said Col. Roy “Ozzie” Osborn, commanding officer of the 15th MEU. “There is a lot of work to be done here. The people in this region have been hit especially hard because the flood waters from the north have been flowing steadily to the southern regions,” explained the 48-year-old Groveton, Texas native.

The 15th MEU is currently deployed with the Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group performing training and real world missions as part of their routine deployment across the Western Pacific.

• Date Taken: 09.05.2010
• Date Posted: 09.06.2010 05:35
• Story ID: 55782
• Location: PANO AQIL, PK