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Support From Kyrgyz Air Base 'Temporarily Suspended'

April 08, 2010

The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said today that flights supporting NATO operations in Afghanistan from an air base in Kyrgyzstan have been temporarily suspended following violent political upheaval in Bishkek.

But a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, Lieutenant-Colonel Tadd Sholtis, says the move has not had any significant impact on operations or logistical support in Afghanistan.

The United States is leasing the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan as a main regional hub for logistical support of NATO operations in Afghanistan.

Sholtis said today that some aircraft at Manas have been "relocated" and that flights between Manas and Afghanistan have been "temporarily suspended."

The United States embassy in Kyrgyzstan says the Manas air base itself continues to function.

Earlier today, the Kyrgyz opposition leader who claims to be the leader of a temporary "caretaker government" said Manas will remain open to United States military forces. Roza Otunbaeva says U.S. forces can continue to use the Manas to supply NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/Support_From_Kyrgyz_Air_ Base_Temporarily_Suspended/2006258.html

Copyright (c) 2010. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.