By Masud Karim

ON BOARD USS KEARSARGE, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. helicopters flew dozens of sorties from a naval ship anchored off the southern Bangladesh coast on Thursday ferrying food, water and clothes to survivors of the country's worst cyclone since 1991.

The air operations by the USS Kearsarge are part of a huge relief effort that the Bangladesh military has launched to bring aid to an estimated 2 million displaced by the storm.

"The U.S. military is here by the request of Bangladesh government to provide immediate relief like water, food and shelter to the cyclone victims", Rear Admiral Carol M. Pottenger told reporters onboard the Kearsarge.

The involvement of the U.S. military in relief efforts in Bangladesh is a sensitive issue both at home, as well as with its larger neighbours, China and India, analysts said.

A defence analyst said earlier on that U.S. participation in the relief effort was "somewhat delayed" because Bangladesh was in a strategic area and both China and India did not necessarily welcome American warships.

Admiral Pottenger told reporters that the U.S navy was only focused on helping reach aid to the survivors in the short term and woudn't be in Bangladesh waters for long.

"The U.S. military are not here to engage in long term reconstruction, " he said.

Bangladesh, a Muslim country of more than 140 million, has seen strong opposition to the U.S. led war in Iraq.

Cyclone Sidr, which hit the impoverished South Asian country on Nov. 15 with winds of 250 kph (155 mph) and a 5-foot tidal surge, killed about 3,500 people and left thousands missing or injured.

Despite the intensified relief operations, thousands of survivors have yet to get food and water due to washed out roads and fallen trees. Many crowded river banks and roadsides in the hope of food handouts, reporters said.

Toops on the USS Kearsarge were busy purifying gallons of saline water from the Bay of Bengal with purification units on board and then airlifting the bags of water.

Some 2,700 bags of water, each containing 5 gallons, had been purified so far, they said.

"The people of Bangladesh appreciated our effort and we got the feedback by seeing the smile on their faces," Pottenger said.

Helicopters flew round the clock from the deck of the 844-foot long Kearsarge

A total 2,381 U.S. troops have been deployed in Bangladesh since Nov. 23 to provide relief and medical services, U.S. officials said.

The USS Tarawa, another U.S. military ship, will arrive in the first week of December to replace Kearsarge, Bangladesh army officials said.

(Writing by Anis Ahmed; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

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