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| Politics
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| US dispatches aid to Bangladesh |
| The US Navy prepared on Friday to deliver much-needed food and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 23-November-2007
9:17:30 AM |
| The US Navy prepared on Friday to deliver much-needed food and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis whose homes were destroyed by Cyclone Sidr, a top US military commander said.
The arrival of the USS Kearsage near the Bangladesh coast came as authorities and aid workers warned that Bangladesh faces acute food shortages after the devastating storm destroyed crops and homes across a large swath of the country.
''We are here to help the people in their time of need,'' Adm Timothy Keating, the top US military commander in the Pacific Ocean, told reporters.
The first ship arrived on Thursday and Keating said a second ship, the USS Essex, would arrive in coming days, with assistance at the request of the Bangladeshi government.
The ships are each carrying about 20 helicopters that will help deliver water, food and medical supplies to survivors, US officials said. The ships will coordinate with the Bangladeshi military.
Officers from the USS Kearsage spent most of Friday meeting with Bangladeshi military commanders to coordinate the operation, which will include a survey of the ravaged zone to pinpoint the neediest areas, US officials said.
The actual delivery of relief supplies is expected to start Saturday, said Geeta Pasi, the top US diplomat in Dhaka.
''We are excited to be able to respond to the immediate needs of the survivors,'' said Pasi.
About 300 members from a small Islamic group, Hizbut Tahrir, briefly demonstrated in Dhaka against the arrival of the ships, saying they were a threat to Bangladesh's security.
''Go back! We don't want the warships,'' shouted the protesters at the city's largest state-run mosque. A contingent of riot police stopped them from pouring into the streets.
The protest occurred after Friday's Islamic prayers.
US medical teams have been distributing water purification tablets in the stricken zones to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases, Pasi said.
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