Kyrgyzstan Closing US Base Key to Afghan Conflict

[balantz]

Kyrgyzstan Closing US Base Key to Afghan Conflict
Major Blow to Obama's Plan to Escalate Afghan War

by Mike Eckel
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/02/03-8


MOSCOW - Kyrgyzstan's president said Tuesday his country is ending U.S. use of an air base key to military operations in Afghanistan - a decision with potentially grave consequences for U.S. efforts to put down surging Taliban and al-Qaida violence.

Kyrgyzstan's president said that his country is ending U.S. use of a key airbase that supports military operations in Afghanistan, Russian news agencies quoted him as saying Tuesday Feb. 3 2009. Manas serves as the premier air mobility and refueling hub for operations in Afghanistan, providing daily refueling missions and supporting personnel and cargo transiting in and out of Afghanistan. (Air Force photo / Senior Airman Ruth Holcomb)A U.S. military official in Afghanistan called President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's statement "political positioning" and denied the U.S. presence at the Manas air base would end anytime soon.

The United States is preparing to deploy an additional 15,000 troops in Afghanistan and Manas is an important stopover for U.S. materiel and personnel.

Ending U.S. access would be a significant victory for Moscow in its efforts to squeeze the United States out of Central Asia, home to substantial oil and gas reserves and seen by Russia as part of its strategic sphere of influence.

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Col. Greg Julian, the U.S. spokesman in Afghanistan, denied there was any change in U.S. use of the base and he noted that Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, just recently traveled there.

"I think it's political positioning. Gen. Petraeus was just there and he talked with them. We have a standing contract and they're making millions off our presence there. There are no plans to shut down access to it anytime soon," he told The Associated Press.

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Moscow, which fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan during the Soviet era, was initially supportive of U.S. efforts to keep Afghanistan from collapsing into new anarchy and stem the spread of militancy northward through ex-Soviet Central Asia.

But as Kremlin suspicions about U.S. foreign policy have grown, so has Russian wariness about the U.S. presence in Central Asia. Russia also uses a military air base in the ex-Soviet nation.

During his visit last month, Petraeus said that Manas would be key to plans to boost the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan. He also said the United States currently pumps a total of $150 million into Kyrgyzstan's economy annually, including $63 million in rent for Manas.

About 1,200 U.S. troops are based at Manas.

Russia, however, agreed Tuesday to provide Kyrgyzstan with $2 billion in loans plus another $150 million in financial aid.

Kyrgyzstan is one of Central Asia's poorest countries and has been buffeted by political turmoil for years. Its economy has been strained to the limit this winter after neighboring Uzbekistan significantly raised prices for natural gas.

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[Thrill]

1. I think Obama may have to remove Petraeus

.

[Still Sensible]

2. I see Putin's fingerprints all over this

looks like a russian satellite country is under pressure to make things a little tougher in the region for the new President.

[balantz]

3. Maybe we will escape more Afghanistan slaughter disgrace after all?

But probably not.

[bemildred]

4. Coming soon: The Kabul Airlift. nt