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| Afghanistan-Pak-India |
| Al-Qaida urges Muslims to come to Pakistan's aid |
| 2005-10-24 |
| Al-Qaida issued a video appeal for Muslims to rush help to quake-hit Pakistan last night despite its violent opposition to President Pervez Musharraf's pro-American government. "I call on all Muslims and Islamic charity organisations in particular to go to Pakistan and give a helping hand to the victims there," said the second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a message broadcast on al-Jazeera. Osama bin Laden's deputy said he knew Mr Musharraf was an "agent" of the US. Unlike Zawahiri, who is an agent of mass murder. "Despite that I call on all Muslims to run to the help of their brothers in Pakistan," he said. The videotape, in which al-Zawahiri is wearing a white turban and sitting beside an AK-47 assault rifle, was an unexpected intervention from a group that has vowed to overthrow Mr Musharraf and wage jihad against the west. The message came as international aid continued to flood in but UN officials warned that thousands of lives were still at risk. With the fierce Himalayan winter just weeks away an odd mix of western and local soldiers, seasoned aid workers and Islamic charities are rushing shelter and food to the victims of the October 8 quake. Possibly to al-Zawahiri's dismay, America is at the forefront of the charge. Lick and like it, Zawahiri. President George Bush has given $50m (£28m) in immediate assistance and diverted a fleet of 19 helicopters, many of them from the fight against Taliban rebels in neighbouring Afghanistan. More troops and aircraft have been promised. Especially for that pesky cave-riddled frontier region. The American soldiers find themselves with unlikely bedfellows. Among the Islamic groups distributing blankets, tents and medical supplies are the al-Rasheed Trust - which the Bush administration has accused of channelling funds to al-Qaida - and Hizb ul-Mujahideen, the largest militant group fighting in Indian-controlled Kashmir. I hope there's no ban on cameras and other electronic recording devices. Some The scale of the devastation remains unclear. Provincial authorities put the death toll at 79,000 but the central government has confirmed just 53,000 casualties. Although last December's southeast Asian tsunami claimed far more lives, aid workers say the earthquake aftermath poses a far stiffer challenge. A shortage of tents is a leading concern. Like the ones that may have been squirreled away by those military guys in Muzaffarabad? Officials estimate that up to 540,000 tents are required but there could be a shortage of 200,000. And some of those available will offer little protection against the winter. Yesterday morning 300 tents had been pitched in Bassian, a valley settlement six miles from quake-ruined Balakot. While some were made with heavy canvas, others had been cut from parachute cloth, according to one soldier. "Rain they can keep out, yes. But snow, no," he said. After a hesitant start the Pakistani army has taken a lead role in The World Bank president, Paul Wolfowitz, said Pakistan would need billions to rebuild. Figures released by Unicef yesterday gave an indication of the quake's human and material cost. In Muzaffarabad district alone an estimated 1,442 schools had collapsed, 622 were considered too dangerous to use, (Not that they weren't put to extremely dangerous uses before, but only for us infidels.) and some 12,000 students and teachers had died. Since the vast majority of them were males devoting themselves to memorizing the Koran, it'll be hard for me to get very dewy about this. |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #3 and diverted a fleet of 19 helicopters, many of them from the fight against Taliban rebels in neighbouring Afghanistan. Still armed to the teeth I hope. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2005-10-24 20:16 |
| #2 :> Millions dead, property damage in the hundreds of thousands... |
| Posted by: Rod Steiger 2005-10-24 17:43 |
| #1 How could pakiland need Billions to rebuild? The whole goddamned county isn't worth billions. Maybe they should consider selling their nuclear arsenal to pay off the debt. Isreal is probably in the market. |
| Posted by: Crimble Gromons1663 2005-10-24 10:48 |