US sends Marine ship, helicopters for flood aid

US sends Marine ship, helicopters for flood aid
By SAGAR MEGHANI (AP)

TAMPA, Fla. — The United States is more than tripling the number of helicopters it is providing to help in flood-ravaged Pakistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.

Gates said the USS Peleliu is now off the coast near Karachi, carrying 19 helicopters and a complement of about 1,000 Marines.

The six U.S. helicopters which were sent to Pakistan from Afghanistan earlier have been helping rescue people and deliver aid supplies. Gates said the Peleliu's complement will replace six combat helicopters on loan from the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan.

Gates said President Barack Obama has directed his administration to "lean forward" in offering help to the Pakistanis, which he stressed will be at a pace dictated by Pakistan's needs and its ability to handle aid.

"There's no point in having a lot of helicopters if we don't have the relief supplies to deliver," Gates told reporters traveling with him to Florida. He said the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other areas of the government will have to be involved in helping Pakistan recover.
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US sends Marine ship, helicopters for flood aid