February 11, 2006	Saturday	Muharram 12, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: The United States Disaster Assistance Centre (USDAC) on Friday said so far the US had provided over one million gallons of aviation fuel to relief helicopters that transported more than 20 million pounds of humanitarian aid.

USDAC Chief of Staff Lt-Col Aaron Aldridge said from the beginning of the relief effort we provided fuel to the United Nations, United Kingdom, Pakistan, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Tajikistan and Libya.

He said supplying fuel to all those involved in the relief effort was simply the right thing to do.

As relief efforts transition to reconstruction, US army ground crews were now training their Pakistani military counterparts at Muzaffarabad how to operate the Rapid Refuelling Point (RRP). In March, US forces would turn over this system to Pakistan.

“This system is really going to help reconstruction efforts,” said Capt Paul Ireland, US Army 267th Quartermaster, in charge of Muzaffarabad’s RRP. The time this system saves will mean that more aircraft will be spending more time in the air delivering humanitarian aid.