BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan is moving to close a key US military airbase used to support operations in Afghanistan, government sources told AFP on Wednesday.
We are preparing the papers necessary to close the base, a senior official in the Kyrgyz presidential administration said on condition of anonymity, confirming comments from sources in the Foreign Ministry and parliament. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev also made clear he foresaw the closure of the base at Manas, outside the capital Bishkek, stating in an interview published by the Kabar state news agency that Western military operations in Afghanistan were over. Since there are no more military actions in Afghanistan, one can undoubtedly already talk about putting an end to the activities of the base at Manas.
The problem of narcotics, which is especially severe in Afghanistan, can be solved without the use of military aircraft, Bakiyev said. Bakiyev has repeatedly threatened to close the base, on each occasion coming to terms with the US administration after financial wrangling. Russia has also pressed for the closure of the base, which was opened after the September 11, 2001 attacks to support US-led operations in Afghanistan. There have also been a number of street demonstrations demanding the bases closure in recent months. The Manas base is a potent symbol of US influence in Central Asia, and is home to about 1,200 foreign military personnel, mainly from the United States, and acts as a staging post for operations in Afghanistan. In 2005, the United States was forced out of even larger base in Kyrgyzstans neighbour Uzbekistan amid tensions over the crushing of an uprising by Uzbek forces. afp
