WASHINGTON The US military is sending American pilots and helicopters to Pakistan to help with rescue and relief efforts after devastating floods, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
The pilots will fly four US Army CH-47 Chinook choppers and two UH-60 Blackhawks in flood-hit mountainous areas that are inaccessible by road, spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters.
"We intend to send CH-47s and UH-60s to go to Pakistan and assist in efforts associated with the floods there," Lapan said.
The military had hoped to have the helicopters, which are based in neighboring Afghanistan, already deployed to Pakistan but bad weather postponed the operation on Tuesday, he said.
The Pentagon earlier supplied Pakistan's interior ministry with several helicopters for rescue efforts, but the latest assistance would involve American pilots flying the aircraft.
In Pakistan, where Washington's policies enjoy little public support, the presence of any US military personnel is a politically sensitive subject. A small contingent of American special forces in the country that train Pakistani soldiers keeps a low public profile.
US-supplied helicopters already have rescued more than 700 people from flood-affected areas of Pakistan and delivered thousands of pounds of rations, officials said on Monday.
Drawing on stocks of humanitarian supplies in Afghanistan and the region, the US military has helped deliver 316,000 halal meals to Pakistan and planned to ferry another 110,000 meals later on Tuesday, Lapan said.
Pakistan issued new flood warnings Tuesday, as the country battled to cope with the worst floods in living memory affecting 3.2 million people and killing up to 1,500.
