The Dutch contribution to Operation Air Quake Afghanistan
From June 7, the Royal Netherlands Air Force made a small but effective contribution to the rescue operation in the disaster area in the form of an air operations team of 5 men. This action was given the name Air Quake.
The RNLAF team was under the command of Major M.M.A.J. Verstraeten and its task was to steer the coordination of the international air operations from the airport at Feyzabad in the right direction. The relief supplies that had been flown in by helicopter and smaller aircraft from Pakistan and Tajikistan were distributed throughout the disaster area from the ‘Dutch’ airport. The air operations team coordinated the airborne relief effort in the area for a month and left for home at the beginning of July 1998.