BBC News passes on a warning from an anonymous "senior US official" that the Pakistani Taliban is planning to attack foreigners helping with flood relief efforts in the country.
The official told the BBC the Taliban plan "to conduct attacks against foreigners participating in the ongoing flood relief operations in Pakistan." He (or she) added that "provincial ministers in Islamabad" may be at risk.
The warning comes as thousands flee their homes in southern coastal areas as floods sweep down from the north. The UN says more than 17 million people have been affected by the monsoon floods, and about 1.2 million homes have been destroyed.
Some five million Pakistanis have no shelter, and urgently need tents or plastic sheeting to protect them from the sun. But do they want our help? Apparently not.
Walt wonders who the "senior official could be". Just by coincidence this morning's Globe and Mail quotes Rajiv Shah, a senior administrator of USAID, as saying that Pakistan will have to demonstrate it can spend relief funds transparently and well if it wants more help in rebuilding after its massive floods.
There are concerns, he said, about how the foreign aid money will be spent by the government, which has a reputation (well-deserved, in my view) for inefficiency and corruption. You read it here first!
No comments:
Post a Comment