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Staging Base for Afghan War Is Handed to Kyrgyzstan Staging Base for Afghan War Is Handed to Kyrgyzstan
(35 minutes later)
In another symbolic step toward the exit from Afghanistan, the United States on Tuesday formally handed Kyrgyzstan control of Manas Air Base, once a major waypoint for personnel and cargo bound for the Afghan war.In another symbolic step toward the exit from Afghanistan, the United States on Tuesday formally handed Kyrgyzstan control of Manas Air Base, once a major waypoint for personnel and cargo bound for the Afghan war.
For hundreds of thousands of American and NATO service members, military processing at the base, formally known as the Transit Center at Manas, was the last stop before entering the war zone and the first stop after leaving. It was also the home of a United States Air Force logistics and refueling operation involved in daily operations in Afghanistan. Col. John Millard, the American commander at the base, told reporters at the handover ceremony that the Air Wing there loaded more than a billion liters of fuel for coalition aircraft over the years of the war. For hundreds of thousands of American and NATO service members, the base, formally known as the Transit Center at Manas, was the last stop before entering the war zone and the first stop after leaving. It was also the home of a United States Air Force logistics and refueling operation involved in daily operations in Afghanistan. Col. John Millard, the American commander at the base, told reporters at the handover ceremony that the Air Wing there loaded more than a billion liters of fuel for coalition aircraft over the years of the war.
Manas was one of two American bases hurriedly set up in Central Asia to support the invasion of Afghanistan in the weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The other, in Uzbekistan, closed in 2005.Manas was one of two American bases hurriedly set up in Central Asia to support the invasion of Afghanistan in the weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The other, in Uzbekistan, closed in 2005.
Years later, the American pullout from Kyrgyzstan stands as a sign not only of the dwindling war effort in Afghanistan but also of worsening relations with Russia and its closer allies among the former Soviet republics. Despite its major role as a staging base, Manas never completely lost the trappings of an ad hoc military camp. Sand-filled Hesco barriers were the first sign that visitors had finished passing through the remnants of the old Soviet air base at the site and were entering the main transit center. Modular buildings contained the most vital functions, but the men and women coming through would while away the hours before their flights in large, white tents that dotted the site.
The Kyrgyz government first moved to evict the United States from Manas in 2009, acting under a mix of pressure and incentives from a Russian government that was growing increasingly hostile to the United States’ presence in the region. American officials headed off that attempt by agreeing to pay more rent: raising it to $60 million a year, plus substantial spending on facilities improvement, from the original $17.4 million, according to American and Kyrgyz officials. “My first impression was that this place had a completely different vibe — you felt you had left Western civilization,” said Adrian Bonenberger, the author of the war memoir “Afghan Post” and a former Army officer who served two tours in Afghanistan. “There were these incredible mountains in the distance, and the whole place had a windswept feel about it.”
Mr. Bonenberger said that later, as he came through on his way out of Afghanistan, “I remember feeling very safe there. It felt like very few people were around — like there was nothing to bother you much going in or out.”
Now, the American pullout from Kyrgyzstan stands as a sign not only of the dwindling war effort in Afghanistan, but also of worsening relations with Russia and its closer allies among the former Soviet republics.
The Kyrgyz government first moved to evict the United States from Manas in 2009, acting under a mix of pressure and incentives from Russian allies who were growing increasingly hostile to the United States’ presence in the region. American officials headed off that attempt by agreeing to pay more rent: raising it to $60 million a year, plus substantial spending on facilities improvement, from the original $17.4 million, according to American and Kyrgyz officials.
More recently, when it became clear that the Kyrgyz government was adamant that the American lease ending next month would be the last, NATO officials began planning ways to route around Manas as they began the extensive troop and cargo withdrawal effort in Afghanistan. The American military started using a base in Romania as its main transit center for the Afghan war this year.More recently, when it became clear that the Kyrgyz government was adamant that the American lease ending next month would be the last, NATO officials began planning ways to route around Manas as they began the extensive troop and cargo withdrawal effort in Afghanistan. The American military started using a base in Romania as its main transit center for the Afghan war this year.
On Tuesday, the American ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Pamela Spratlen, told a news conference at Manas that the last of the 300 or so American personnel at the base would be gone within a week. The specialized equipment at the base, including airport vehicles and firefighting equipment, will stay for use by Kyrgyz forces.On Tuesday, the American ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Pamela Spratlen, told a news conference at Manas that the last of the 300 or so American personnel at the base would be gone within a week. The specialized equipment at the base, including airport vehicles and firefighting equipment, will stay for use by Kyrgyz forces.