Sunday, December 04, 2011

Don't Touch Base: US 'gateway to hell' fate questioned


Newly-elected Kyrgyz President Atambayev says he will shut down the key US military base in the country. Former President Bakiyev wanted to do the same, but changed his mind a year before a major uprising ousted him from power. The Manas Airbase was opened in Kyrgyzstan in 2001, after the US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan and the need to supply the contingent with fuel, weapons and manpower arose. According to Pentagon reports, 15,000 troops and 500 tonnes of military cargo pass through the base every month. Some 1,200 of personnel are stationed there.

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