USAID chief says jihadis almost got him in JuD flood relief camp

WASHINGTON - Highlighting the terror threat perspective in Pakistan, US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah has said he was forced to exit a relief camp in the flood hit country following a warning from security officials.

Shah, who was in news for bumping into a flood relief camp reportedly managed by the Jamaat-ud-Daawa (JuD), told media persons during a press conference here that he faced a threat while visiting a relief camp in Sindh’s Sukkur city.

“Within a few minutes of being there, our Diplomatic Security detail informed me that there were some suspicious individuals in the area and we needed to leave. So we tried to make as graceful and appropriate an exit as possible,” The Dawn quoted Shah, as saying.

Shah condemned Pakistani terror groups for using the chaos caused by the devastating floods to propagate their own ‘jihadist’ agenda, saying: “It was deeply saddening that others would choose to use these environments to propagate themselves.”

He, however, stressed that such threat would not deter Washington from helping thousands of people left homeless by the deluge in the inundated country.

“The United States is committed to a strong and effective response in cooperation with the people of Pakistan, including helping with reconstruction once the floodwaters recede,” Shah said. (ANI)