While the mainstream media has turned its attention elsewhere, the US military’s disaster relief operation in flood-ravaged Pakistan continues. Despite the fact that the operation is winding down, 26 US military helicopters still remain in Pakistan with others based offshore. These aircraft have been part of a response that has airlifted more than 21,000 flood victims and delivered 15 million pounds of supplies since July. Below is the second in a series of photos of this operation in action.
Caption: A Marine Corps Super Stallion helicopter from VMM-266, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, flies in route to deliver relief supplies during humanitarian assistance operations in the southern province of Sindh, Pakistan. Photo by Capt. Paul Duncan.
Caption: U.S. Marines with the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 Reinforced, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit unload food off a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter during flood relief operations in the Pano Aqil province, Pakistan, Oct. 11.
Caption: Pakistan civilians patiently wait as the U.S. Marines with the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 Reinforced, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit unload food off a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter during flood relief operations in the Pano Aqil province, Pakistan, Oct. 11.
Caption: The 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron delivers aid and supplies to Skardu Airfield, Pakistan as well as transports internally displaced persons back to Chaklala Air Force Base, Pakistan aboard their C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, Sept. 24. Photo by Staff Sgt. Andy Kin.
Caption: U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Mike LeFever, commander of the Office of the Defense Representative Pakistan, speaks to members of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit in a hangar, Sept. 25, at Pano Aqil Air Base, Pakistan. Photo by Staff Sgt. Kali Gradishar.
Caption: Pakistani civilian flood victims assist U.S. Marines with the Marine Medium Tilt Rotor Squadron 266 Reinforced (VMM-165 REIN) with unloading food from a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter at a flood affected area during flood relief operations in the Pano Aqil province, Pakistan, October 10, 2010.
Caption: Local Pakistanis watch as supplies are unloaded from a CH-47 Chinook in Khyber – Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Oct. 09, 2010. Photo by Pfc. Joshua Kruger.
Caption: Local Pakistanis unload supplies from a truck onto a CH-47 Chinook in Khyber – Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Oct. 7. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Joshua Kruger)
Caption: Marines from the 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units work with Pakistani soldiers to offload relief supplies from the back of a Marine Super Stallion helicopter during relief operations in the southern province of Sindh, Pakistan. Photo by Capt. Paul Duncan.
Caption: Local Pakistanis unload supplies from a CH-47 Chinook in Khyber – Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Oct. 9, 2010. Photo by Pfc. Joshua Kruger.
Caption: A Marine Sea Knight is surrounded by Pakistani flood victims desperate for relief supplies during humanitarian assistance operations in the southern province of Sindh, Pakistan. Photo by Capt. Paul Duncan.
Caption: A Marine Sea Knight from HMM-165 (REIN), 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit prepares to perform a main mount hover on a strip of road too narrow for a full landing in the southern province of Sindh, Pakistan to deliver relief supplies during humanitarian assistance operations. Photo by Capt. Paul Duncan.
Caption: U.S. Marines with the Marine Medium Tilt Rotor 266 Reinforced, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Pakistan Army soldiers conduct a hover drop on a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter in a flood-affected area in the Pano Aqil province during flood relief operations in Pakistan, Sept. 16, 2010.
Caption: U.S. Marines with the Marine Medium Tilt Rotor 266 Reinforced, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Pakistan Army soldiers gather food on a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter to conduct a hover drop in a flood-affected area in the Pano Aqil province during flood relief operations in Pakistan, Sept. 16, 2010.
Christopher R. Albon is a political science Ph.D. specializing in armed conflict, public health, human security, and health diplomacy.
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