U.S. Military Aircraft to Deliver Libya-related Aid

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2011 – Two U.S. military aircraft will deliver humanitarian supplies to Tunisia today and return tomorrow to transport Egyptian refugees from Libya, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters today.

The C-130s out of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, will deliver six pallets of aid supplies, including 4,000 blankets, 40 rolls of plastic sheeting, and 9,600 10-liter water containers to Djerba, Tunisia, according to Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan.

“Those two aircraft stopped in Italy, where they picked up humanitarian assistance [supplies] from the USAID … warehouse,” Lapan said.

The planes will return to Tunisia tomorrow to relocate Egyptian refugees back to Egypt, he said.

The request for aid came from the Egyptian government, through the U.S. Embassy to the State Department and to the Department of Defense, Lapan said.

The flights are part of U.S. Africa Command-led Operation Odyssey Dawn, which is providing humanitarian assistance to people fleeing Libya in the wake of recent political uprisings and violence there.

A number of NATO countries and international organizations also are contributing aid, Lapan said.

President Barack Obama announced yesterday that the United States would give humanitarian aid and send military and civilian aircraft to assist refugees leaving Libya.