Kyrgyzstan aims to close US airbase

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-05-2009 09:40

Kyrgyzstan's government has asked parliament to approve the closure of a US military air base which supplies US-led troops fighting in Afghanistan.

US soldiers take part in an exercises at the US airbase in Kyrgyzstan.(AFP/File/Vyacheslav Oseledko)

The decision by the Central Asian state sets a tough challenge for new US President Barack Obama as he plans to send additional troops to Afghanistan. But Moscow said it would be flexible to US requests to transit supplies across Russia.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced his intention to close the US base at Manas after he secured Russian financial aid at talks in Moscow on Tuesday.

The Kyrgyz Security Council says the US military will be given 180 days to close its operations.

The US State Department says it has not received any formal information over the closure of the Manas base and that discussions are continuing with Kyrgyzstan.

A spokesman said Washington is also discussing the issue with Russia, but he did not give any details.

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Editor:Zhang Pengfei