At a small airport, less than an hour from the Pakistani capital Islamabad, 16 US helicopters are ready for a long day of distributing aid. They will carry food to people in the Swat mountains. Most of the bridges in this region have been destroyed by flooding and the area is almost completely cut off from the rest of the world.
 
“Since 5 August, we have flown in 1 million kilos of aid to the disaster area and we have evacuated more than 8000 people,” says Lieutenant-Colonel Allegretti, the base’s efficient spokesperson for the US mission. He has all the data literally at his fingertips on a small electronic gadget. “Most of the people who we have evacuated, were completely cut off,” he added matter-of-factly.
 
The problem becomes immediately apparent as soon as the helicopters fly two-by-two into the stricken region. Almost every bridge has been destroyed.
 
Taliban
“Only three of the 53 bridges in our region are still standing,” says a Pakistani officer who wishes to remain anonymous. The area where he works is inhospitable and remote. The Pakistani army only recently managed to drive out the Taliban after heavy fighting. In spite of the emergency situation, aid organisations are having difficulty getting permission to visit the region.
 
One of the devastated bridges can be seen from the mountain slope. The road ends abruptly on the river bank and continues on the other side. Less than 100 metres further along, a simple wooden emergency bridge has been constructed, which is only just wide enough for people to cross in both directions. Some are carrying large boxes or sacks on their backs.
 
Emergency bridges
The engines of three US helicopters, which fly in material to build the emergency bridges, drown out the voice of the officer. The helicopters are the only way of getting equipment to where it is needed. Pakistani soldiers and villagers carry the extremely heavy bridge parts on their backs. A group of mountain dwellers looks on. Dressed in Pakistani clothes - a long shirt over baggy trousers - they are waiting until they can get out.
 
A nearby village receives bags of flour bearing the words “US aid” underneath an American flag. As soon as the helicopter lands, a long row of young men forms a human chain to waiting lorries. Hastily they pass on the sacks of flour, which create clouds of white dust around them.
 
The huge amount of attention it draws shows how important the aid is. The whole village appears to have turned out. The crowds on the slopes around the landing area look like an arena full of football supporters.
 
Surprisingly positive
“We are very grateful for the US aid,” says Muhammad Rafiq, a 31-year-old farmer. Just about all the men standing around him agree. “If the US didn’t help, who would?” asks Muhammad Zab. It is a surprisingly positive comment about the Americans in a country that generally doesn’t like them.
 
Tandool Khan gets into the helicopter with his three-year old son. His head is bandaged and he has a swollen black eye after falling off the roof of a house. A doctor in a tent next to the fields where the helicopters land patched him up with a dozen messy stitches.
 
After coordinating aid flights for ten hours, Sergeant Ken Rose is exhausted. His uniform is wet from sweat, dust and sand stick to his hair. Asked whether he would like a cold beer and a long shower, he says tiredly, “All I want is a drink of water and my bed.”