Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said it had been decided to close the Manas Air Base, the premier air mobility hub for the International Security Assistance Force that was opened by the United States in 2001. Photo: A US Air Force plane at the air base at Bishkeks Manas international airport.
Washington considers the Manas Air Base a highly important element of U.S. defense capability and hopes to continue using it in the future.
At present, over 1,000 U.S. military personnel and military transport planes are deployed at the Manas Air Base. Kyrgyzstan has turned down a U.S. request to expand the base
