The installation leased from Uzbekistan was the Karshi-Khanabad air base in the southeastern part of the country. The US has used the base, also known as K2 and “Stronghold Freedom,'' since 2001 to support missions against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. On July 29, 2005, amid strained relations caused by the May 2005 unrest and riots in Andijan, Uzbekistan, the US was told to vacate the base within six months. It was vacated by the US in November 2005.The other installation leased by the US was the Manas Air Base at the Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, and was operated by the US Air Force. The installation was initially named after New York Fire Department Chief Peter J. Ganci Jr., who was killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York. The all-ranks club/recreation center on the base is known as "Pete's Place" in his honor. Shortly after the US Air Force decided to use the name "Ganci," it was found that an Air Force Instruction (AFI) dictated that air bases not in the US could not bear the name of any US citizens. Since that time, the air base has been officially called Manas Air Base, named after the airport where it is located. The name "Manas," of course, refers to the epic of Manas, a well-known Kyrgyz mythical hero.
In December 2001, US engineers arrived at Manas to open the airfield for military use as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and in a short period of time, they readied the airfield for full air operations. The US not only maintained transport and refueling aircraft at Manas but also fighter jets, including US Air Force F-15Es and US Marine Corps F-18s. NATO nations also deployed fighter jets as well as tanker aircrafts to the base from time to time.
About 15,000 personnel and 500 tons of cargo pass through Manas each month. The base is also the home of large tanker aircraft that are used for in-air refueling of fighter aircraft on combat and bombing missions over Afghanistan.
The use of the base is laid out in a July 2006 US-Kyrgyz agreement that requires the US to pay $17.4 million a year, renewable each year through July 2011 and with the option for either side to back out of the agreement with 180 days notice. According to various sources, total US assistance to the country is about $150 million a year, including support for health, police, human rights and economic programs.
The information with regards to the Manas Air Base I have just given above may be history in the very near future because the US's only remaining air base in Central Asia is about to close. The closure was announced last Tuesday by Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. He said economic considerations and a negative public attitude toward the base contributed to the decision.
Adahan Madumarov, secretary of the Kyrgyz Security Council, told reporters on Friday that the decision on the air base's fate was final. "I see no reason why the air base should remain in place now that this decision has been taken … We are not holding any talks on this," he added, hinting strongly that there would be no further discussions with the US on the air base.
Reuters reported on Friday that "the Kyrgyz government needs parliamentary approval to proceed with the closure, but this is seen as a formality as the chamber is controlled by a pro-presidential party. It is expected to vote next week."
So, barring a last minute development, the decision to close the Manas base is a foregone conclusion, and with it, a brief chapter will also close, namely the military presence of the US in Central Asia, which lasted only eight years.
The US will, of course, greatly regret the closure, which could have been avoided if it had acted wisely and properly vis-à-vis Kyrgyz demands. But it is too late now.
Benzer Haberler 
