# Kyrgyzstan to Close U.S. Air Base Used for Afghan War



## GAP (3 Feb 2009)

Kyrgyzstan to Close U.S. Air Base Used for Afghan War (Update1) 
By Lyubov Pronina Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) 
Article Link

 Kyrgyzstan will close an air base used by the U.S. as a staging point for operations in Afghanistan, potentially undermining President Barack Obama’s planned troop increase aimed at defeating the Taliban. 

For three years, the Kyrgyz government tried to renegotiate the amount paid by the U.S. to use the base, “but we encountered no understanding from the U.S. side,” Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev told reporters in Moscow today. The decision was made “in the last few days,” he said. 

The U.S. Defense department said the base issue is still being discussed with Kyrgyzstan. 

Before Bakiyev’s announcement, President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia will lend Kyrgyzstan $2 billion and provide another $150 million in economic aid. The two countries reached an agreement on settling Kyrgyzstan’s debt to Russia, part of which will be written off and the rest repaid with assets. 

Obama plans to boost U.S. forces in Afghanistan under a strategy similar to the troop “surge” ordered by former President George W. Bush in Iraq. There are currently about 36,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Other NATO members have contributed another 32,000 troops to the Afghan mission, according to the alliance. 

Base at Manas 

The base at Manas Airport near the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek was established in 2001 and serves U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan. It gained additional strategic importance when Uzbekistan closed a similar base on its territory in 2005. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s spokesman, Geoff Morrell, told reporters today he believed the terms for continued use of Manas were still under negotiation. 

“That is where we stand at this point,” he said. “But we are hopeful that we can continue our good relationship with the Kyrgyz government and can continue to use Manas in support of our operations in Afghanistan.” 

Manas “is a hugely important airbase for us,” Morrell said. “It provides us with a launching-off point to provide supplies to our forces in Afghanistan.” 

Petraeus Visit 

Medvedev said Russia and Kyrgyzstan would combine forces to help provide stability in Central Asia. He also reiterated Russia’s willingness to cooperate with the U.S. to bring order to Afghanistan. 

“Our countries will also help operations in the region that are being conducted against terrorism, and we’re prepared for coordinated actions with coalition countries,” he said. 

Medvedev visited Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan, last month on the heels of a tour through the region by Army General David Petraeus, commander of all U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia. Petraeus said on Jan. 20 that the U.S. had secured “additional logistical routes into Afghanistan” through Central Asia as its main supply route through Pakistan becomes increasingly vulnerable to attack by the Taliban. 
More on link


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## old medic (5 Feb 2009)

Kyrgyzstan to close key U.S. air base

By Megan K. Stack and Julian E. Barnes
February 4, 2009
Reporting from Washington and Moscow Julian E. Barnes -- 



> The president of Kyrgyzstan flew to Moscow on Tuesday, nailed down promises of debt relief and billions of dollars in aid -- and promptly announced plans to close a U.S. air base crucial to the war in Afghanistan.
> 
> The abrupt declaration from President Kurmanbek Bakiyev came as the United States prepares to deploy thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan in hopes of gaining ground against a resurgent Taliban. Kyrgyzstan has been home to the only remaining U.S. base in the strategically crucial region to Afghanistan's north.
> 
> ...


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## George Wallace (5 Feb 2009)

Interesting.  I wonder how the new NATO C-17's and their new Transport Base is coming along.  That should solve some of the Tpt problems.  The range is a bit longer, but still not as distant as Germany.  Only problems would be permissions to fly through the air space of several nations.


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## CougarKing (5 Feb 2009)

It seems that a duplicate thread on the same topic was posted here at the link below. Perhaps a merge should be in order.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/83791.0.html


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## CougarKing (7 Feb 2009)

It seems that Tajikistan has offered to help the US with its supply route in spite of and in the wake of the Krygz base closure.



> *Tajikistan Ready To Aid U.S. With Supply Transit*
> 
> By AKBAR BORISOV, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
> Published: 6 Feb 12:29 EST (17:29 GMT)
> ...


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## GAP (10 Feb 2009)

How the U.S. lost its Kyrgyzstan air base
By Alexander Cooley Published: February 10, 2009
Article Link

The recent decision by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev of Kyrgyzstan to close the U.S. military base in the small Central Asian country should come as no surprise to Washington's new foreign policy team. Since its establishment in the fall of 2001, the U.S. air base at Manas has been founded upon the granting of narrow economic incentives to the host country - and not on the Kyrgyz Republic's commitment to the broader international campaign in Afghanistan.

What began as a relationship based on economics is about to end for financial reasons. Though the loss of Manas will deal a short-term blow to U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, staying is not worth the new Kyrgyz asking price.

In 2001, the U.S. established the base, located just outside of the capital Bishkek, to support coalition operations in Afghanistan. American planners initially secured Kyrgyz cooperation by agreeing to pay the Manas Airport Authority, controlled by the then-president, Askar Akayev, and his inner circle of kleptocrats, international civil aviation rates for the daily take-offs and landings of military aircraft at the airport, an unusual fee structure for a standard operation. Most importantly, between 2001 and 2005 the United States paid hundreds of millions of dollars for base-related service and fuel contracts to companies that were controlled by Akayev's family.

None of these base-related revenues were accounted for by the Kyrgyz government or reported in national budgetary statistics, though they did line the pockets of the regime. A subsequent FBI investigation revealed that money from the contracts had ended up in offshore bank accounts controlled by the Akayevs. At a time when USAID was officially funding good governance and transparency projects in the Central Asian country, U.S. payments associated with Manas were sinking down a black hole of patronage, insider dealings and corruption.
Lots More on link


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## old medic (19 Feb 2009)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-as-kyrgyzstan-us-base,0,3411821.story

Kyrgyzstan's parliament votes to close US base used to support operations in Afghanistan

By LEILA SARALAYEVA | Associated Press Writer
    3:02 AM CST, February 19, 2009 



> BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted Thursday to close a key U.S. air base in the country — a move that could hamper President Barack Obama's efforts to increase the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
> 
> Deputies voted 78-1 for the government-backed bill to cancel the lease agreement on the Manas air base, a transit point for 15,000 troops and 500 tons of cargo each month to and from Afghanistan. Two deputies abstained.
> 
> ...


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## Yrys (21 Feb 2009)

Kyrgyz MPs vote to shut US base, BBC News, 19 February 2009

Kyrgyzstan's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of closing a strategic US air base 
that supports US and Nato operations in Afghanistan. The decision was passed by 78 votes 
to one. Once President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signs the bill, the US has 180 days to leave the base.

Mr Bakiyev announced the closure plan earlier this month in Moscow, where Russia pledged 
$2bn (£1.4bn) in aid. Bishkek denies any link between the move to shut the base and Moscow's 
aid. The president said earlier this month that the US refusal to pay an adequate rent was behind 
the decision.

*'Wrap up operations'*

Thousands of US soldiers pass through the Manas base every month on their way in and 
out of Afghanistan.

See map of existing and possible supply routes in the region






It is also home to the large tanker aircraft that are used for in-air refuelling of fighter planes 
on combat missions, and it serves as a key supply hub.

For the US, the decision comes at a critical moment, as the new administration of President 
Barack Obama plans a sharp increase in the number of American troops in Afghanistan.

For Russia, on the other hand, its closure would be a diplomatic victory as it seeks to reassert 
its influence in former Soviet republics, analysts say.

Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev could not say when Mr Bakiyev was expected to sign 
the bill into law - but he said the closure was a certainty. "Once all the procedures are over, an 
official eviction note will be sent, and after that the United States will be given 180 days to wrap 
up operations at the air base," he told journalists.

The Kyrgyz decision has sparked frustration in Washington. "I think that the Russians are trying to 
have it both ways with respect to Afghanistan in terms of Manas," US defence secretary Robert Gates 
said on Thursday, on his way to Krakow to meet his Polish counterpart.

"On one hand you're making positive noises about working with us in Afghanistan and on the other hand 
you're working against us in terms of that airfield which is clearly important to us."

*Tashkent talks*

With supply lines to Afghanistan via Pakistan increasingly threatened by militant attacks, Washington has 
intensified talks with other countries in the region in the wake of Mr Bakiyev's announcement. On Tuesday, 
the US commander for the Middle East and Central Asia, General David Petraeus, held talks in Uzbekistan, 
which has rail links with Afghanistan.

The US has already reached deals with Russia and Kazakhstan to send non-military cargo to Afghanistan 
using their rail networks, but the supplies would have to go through Uzbekistan. The US used to have an 
air base in Uzbekistan that served troops operating in Afghanistan. But Uzbek authorities closed it in 2005 
after criticism from the US and EU over a crackdown on a mass protest in the town of Andijan. 

MANAS AIRBASE IN FIGURES
-Two hours' flight time from Kabul
-15,000 US soldiers pass through every month on their way in and 
 out of Afghanistan
-Houses 1,000 US soldiers alongside 100 Spanish and French troops
-Home of large tanker aircraft used for in-air refuelling of fighter planes
-3,294 refuelling missions flown in 2008 providing 11,419 aircraft with 
 fuel over the skies of Afghanistan


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## Yrys (21 Feb 2009)

US Kyrgyz base is pressure point, BBC News, 19 February 2009

The closure of the Manas US airbase in Kyrgyzstan would be a severe blow 
to the conduct of the war in Afghanistan.

It is the only US base in Central Asia, and not only is it used for combat sorties 
- it is a key link in the supply chain which is expected to be used increasingly 
heavily as a build-up of US reinforcements into Afghanistan develops.

The threat to its future came in a statement from Kyrgyzstan's President Bakiyev, 
who said in Moscow that his government had decided to close the base. This has 
been followed by a vote in the Kyrgyzstan parliament to shut down Manas within 
180 days of the US being given formal notification to quit.

The US says it has not been given any notification and of course, there is a get out 
clause there, as the Kyrgyz government might simply delay such an action indefinitely. 
It nearly asked the Americans to leave in 2005. However this time it appears to be 
more serious. The base, attached to Bishkek's airport, was set up in 2001 for the war 
against the Taleban in Afghanistan.

President Bakiyev was speaking after agreeing an aid package with Russia that would 
provide more than $2bn of help to his impoverished country. Much of it in would be in 
the form of an investment in a dam needed for electricity supply but there is also about 
$450m in grants and soft loans desperately needed to support the country's economy.

Given that its annual budget is just over $1bn, money in this case is obviously vital. 
And money might have talked as well.

*Russian demands*

Some observers believe that President Bakiyev has either agreed to Russian demands 
to link its aid to the closure of the US base or is playing one side off against another. 
Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has been trying to reclaim the influence it once had in 
the former Central Asian Soviet republics, so Russian pressure on Kyrgyzstan is not 
unexpected.





The future of the Manas base is a test 
of will for the United States

The US already pays an annual rent of $60m for Manas and other payments bring US aid 
up to over $150m. It has been in discussions with the Bishkek government about future 
arrangements.

*Matter of money?*

"The threat to close Mamas is credible but it is not a guarantee," said Paul Quinn-Judge 
of the analytical organisation the International Crisis Group. Speaking from his office in the 
Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, he said: "The issue is purely financial. The country is falling to pieces.
There is an energy crisis and people don't have enough electricity or jobs and it will get worse. 
The economy only just functions at best. The government will expect the US to make a counter-
offer.

"Russia has tied its aid to the closure of the base but the ultimate decision will be made on the 
basis of money. Russia is putting the screws on the president. The US will now have to try to 
get him to change his mind and offer more money." The question now is whether such an offer 
might not be too late.

The future of the base is an important test for President Obama. He plans to significantly increase 
the number of US forces in Afghanistan from its current level of 32,000. An interruption of the 
supply route would make that task much more difficult. He also has to face the realities of Russian 
power in the region, as Russia appears to be gearing up to test American will and influence there.


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## Yrys (21 Feb 2009)

also related : Uzbekistan says U.S. troops must leave , July 30, 2005


US finds new Afghan supply route





The Manas air base has been a crucial 
supply line for the US

The US will be able to take non-military supplies bound for Afghanistan through Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, 
a US commander has said. Mark Harnitchek said between 50 and 200 containers would be sent via the 
two countries every week.

The announcement follows a decision by Kyrgyzstan to close a US air base - the only US military base 
in Central Asia. The US is concerned that the Taleban is regrouping in Afghanistan and this week promised 
to send 17,000 more troops.

Rear Admiral Harnitchek is on a visit to the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, to investigate alternate supply routes 
into Afghanistan following the Kyrgyz decision to close the Manas base. "Tajikistan has given permission 
to use its railways and roads for the transit of non-military cargoes to Afghanistan," Harnitchek told Tajik 
state media. "We plan to transport 50 to 200 containers every week from Uzbekistan to Tajikistan and 
further to Afghanistan."

See  map of Afghan supply routes:





The US recently invested millions of dollars in a bridge connecting Tajikistan and Afghanistan, which will almost 
certainly be used to transport the supplies.

The US had previously announced it intended to transport supplies to Uzbekistan through Russia and Kazakhstan. 
It comes after Kyrgyzstan accused the US of not paying enough to rent the air base at Manas, near the capital city 
of Bishkek. The licence to close the base was signed into law this week by Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

The Kyrgyz foreign ministry said on Friday that it had officially issued an eviction notice giving the US 180 days 
to vacate the area. In a statement, the US embassy in Bishkek said it had not yet received any such notice.

Analysts have suggested that Kyrgyzstan's leaders will not carry out their threat to evict the US, but are using
the law as a bargaining chip to get more rent money from Washington.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates sought to play down the Kyrgyz spat on Thursday, saying the US was open 
to negotiation on the rent. "We are prepared to look at the fees and see if there is justification for a somewhat 
larger payment," he told a news conference. "But we're not going to be ridiculous about it."

Mr Gates is at a Nato meeting in Poland this week, where he has been pressing his allies to commit more troops 
to the Afghan conflict. The 17,000 increase in troop numbers announced earlier this week will bring the number 
of US forces in Afghanistan to more than 50,000.


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## CougarKing (28 Mar 2009)

Apparently the US doesn't want to give its use of Manas AFB in Krgyzstan just yet. The US may not need the Tajik base if the Krygz base remains.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4009993&c=AME&s=AIR



> *U.S. to Talk with Kyrgyzstan on Keeping Manas*
> agence france-presse
> Published: 27 Mar 07:50 EDT (11:50 GMT)
> 
> ...


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## GAP (15 Jun 2009)

US ready to leave Kyrgyzstan airbase: military
4 days ago
Article Link

BISHKEK (AFP) — The United States is on schedule to cease operations at a disputed airbase in Kyrgyzstan, a US military commander said on Monday, despite pleas to Bishkek to reconsider its eviction notice.

Kyrgyzstan has ordered US forces to quit the Manas airbase -- which is used to support operations in Afghanistan -- by August 18 in a decision widely seen as made under pressure from Moscow.

"Yes, we're ready to quit the base," Colonel Christopher Bence told reporters during a ceremony at the airbase.

"We have started shipping equipment and supplies to other locations and those shipments should be finished by August 18."

But the announcement came just hours before Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was set to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg to discuss the future of the base.

Karzai recently appealed to Bakiyev to allow the US base to remain open, Kyrgyz officials have said.

Russia denies playing any role in Kyrgyzstan's decision to close the base, although Bakiyev announced the decision in Moscow in February the same day that Russia unveiled a huge aid package to the impoverished Central Asian country.

Located outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, Manas airbase is used to ferry tens of thousands of troops in and out of Afghanistan each year.

The loss of Manas would deal a major blow to coalition military efforts in Afghanistan at a time when US President Barack Obama has pledged to boost the campaign there against the Taliban.
More on link


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## Yrys (15 Jun 2009)

On a similar subject :

Thoughts on a secondary supply route to Afghanistan, September 2008
US general in Central Asia visit - BBC News, January 2009


Uzbekistan says U.S. troops must leave, July 2005
NATO: Members may use Iran for Afghan supplies, February 2009
Georgia to consider hosting US base, March 2009
South Ossetia to host Russian bases for 99 years, March 2009




Country profile: Kyrgyzstan, March 2009






A country of striking beauty and towering peaks, Kyrgyzstan became independent with the collapse 
of the Soviet Union in 1991. While Kyrgyzstan does possess oil and gas resources, it imports the 
vast bulk of what it needs. The economic situation is dire, particularly in the south where 
unemployment is very high and poverty rife, and the country's politics have turned volatile 
in recent years. 


All on that page :
Overview
Facts
Leaders
Media


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## CougarKing (3 Jun 2014)

An update:

Reuters



> *U.S. vacates base in Central Asia as Russia's clout rises*
> 
> Reuters
> 
> ...


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## Journeyman (3 Jun 2014)

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> In a move aimed at pleasing its former overlord Russia......


In a move based on Russia pouring money in and erasing Kyrgyzstan debt......


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## The_Falcon (3 Jun 2014)

Manas sucked anyways.


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