The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh bade farewell to the US troops yesterday, a day after authorities of both the countries announced the closure of the military part of the US assistance for the cyclone survivors in southwestern coastlines.

Formally bidding the farewell at a ceremony at the Armed Forces Division in Dhaka Cantonment, Principal Staff Officer Lt Gen Masud Uddin Chowdhury said, "Good bye angels."

The military bands played national anthems of the two countries at the ceremonial farewell to the US troops, who took part in the two-week long relief operation dubbed as "Operation Sea Angel-II".

Addressing the ceremony, US Charge d' Affaires Geeta Pasi said the US Government and civilian agencies, including the USAID, would continue to help Bangladesh in mid-term and long-term rehabilitation after the end of the military part of the assistance.

"The departure of the US troops is just a transition of the US engagement in the campaign," she said.

"We were here before the cyclone, we were here during the initial emergency and we will be here to assist with recovery and rehabilitation," she said, adding, the US military currently assisting Bangladesh would now hand over their immediate relief mission to the US Mission in Dhaka.

The immediate response by the Bangladesh government and US civilian and military personnel was truly impressive, she said.

General Masud Uddin Chowdhury said, "Now with the operation Sea Angel II our relationship has further been cemented." He thanked the US troops for coming at a time when the people needed them.

"As a friend and as a partner" the existing relationship with Bangladesh will be stronger in the future, said Brig Gen Ronald L Bailey, who led the US military relief operations.

"Trauma changes you. It brings us together," Bailey told journalists at the farewell ceremony.

Helicopters from the USS Tarawa, which took over from the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge on Monday, made the final sorties on Thursday, dropping food, water and medicine.

The Armed Forces Division and US officials said the second US amphibian battleship Tarawa would depart Bangladesh's territorial waters in next three days after the two aircraft carrier vessels carried out two weeks of succour campaign using wide bodied helicopters and transport planes.

Both the US Charge d' Affaires and the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division said they hope cooperation between the two nations would increase in the future.

The US ship-USS Tarawa also participated in relief operations in 1991 - dubbed Sea Angel I - when a powerful cyclone killed about 1,43,000 people in Bangladesh.

Commander of the US Expeditionary Strike Group Rear Admiral Carol M Pottenger also spoke at the ceremony.

Gen Masud Uddin Chowdhury expressed gratitude to the US military personnel for the assets they mobilised and for their "warmth and compassion" in handling their relief operations dubbed as Operation Sea Angel II.

"You will be leaving Bangladesh but marks of your presence will remain in the sands of our southern coast and, of course, in the depth of hearts of millions of suffering humanity," he said.

Brig Gen Bailey referred to their "excellent experience" in working hand in hand with Bangladeshi troops, civilian officials and aid workers and expressed his "deep appreciation" for the Bangladeshi Armed Forces personnel. "Your military is really exceptional," he added.

Earlier, on Thursday Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed on board USS TARAWA in the Bay of Bengal announced the closure of the military part of the US relief campaign after two weeks of operation reaching life-saving succour.

"We had said none will die without food and treatment, they helped us to a great extent in this regard," General Moeen said.

The amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) having 20 helicopters on board is the similar type of USS Kearsarge (LHD 3).

During the past two weeks of operations, the US transport planes and wide-bodied helicopters reached over 2,58,925 pounds of relief materials, 15,309 gallons of water, making more than 120 sorties to the affected areas, while their doctors and paramedics on board treated some 2500 cyclone-affected people.

The US Government is providing over US$ 19 million in assistance as part of the Sea Angel II.