Article

2010-04-08 Afghanistan

Star & Stripes: Kyrgyz riots close key US Airbase for Afghanistan Ops

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Posted by Beldar Threreling9726 2010-04-08 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11132 views ] Top

#1 Civil unrest was pretty heavy duty!

Video of Riot Police Attacked and Routed by Rioters. Click on the video at the link.

Warning. Graphic.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2010-04-08 01:45|| 2010-04-08 01:45|| Front Page Top

#2 That site is in Russian, this is in Afghanistan.

Posted by gromky 2010-04-08 05:37|| 2010-04-08 05:37|| Front Page Top

#3 The U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan was temporarily closed

It's in Kyrgyzstan, gromky. The base supplies Afghanistan. Perhaps another cup of coffee?

Posted by trailing wife 2010-04-08 06:05|| 2010-04-08 06:05|| Front Page Top

#4 I'd like to see Pelosi and members of the CBC walk through the middle of THAT crowd into the national palace.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-04-08 06:09|| 2010-04-08 06:09|| Front Page Top

#5 Photos

Posted by newc 2010-04-08 11:35|| 2010-04-08 11:35|| Front Page Top

#6 Opposition followers killed Kyrgyzstan's interior minister, took the deputy prime minister hostage and captured state television in a deadly revolt against President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2010-04-08 12:23|| 2010-04-08 12:23|| Front Page Top

#7 Any way those anti-government protests were Al Qaeda driven?
The protesters sure had lots of guns and military tactics for a mob in a strict dictatorship.

Posted by Mike Hunt 2010-04-08 12:45|| 2010-04-08 12:45|| Front Page Top

#8 Kyrgyzstan is a kleptocracy. Not AQ but Russian pushed (by cutting off funds), though there's no evidence that any successor government will be any more Russophile than the Bakiyev mob.

Posted by ed 2010-04-08 13:17|| 2010-04-08 13:17|| Front Page Top

#9 Coming in the near future, to a city near you. Just a prediction.

Posted by Secret Asian Man 2010-04-08 13:39|| 2010-04-08 13:39|| Front Page Top

#10 The new government claims Russian help and announced it intends to close the airbase for afghan ops .

Posted by lotp 2010-04-08 20:10|| 2010-04-08 20:10|| Front Page Top

#11 Soft power and smart diplomacy at work. I have no doubt Admiral Mullen will be explaining on the Today show how this is not a problem because the purpose of the Air Force is not to resupply.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2010-04-08 20:30|| 2010-04-08 20:30|| Front Page Top

#12 Dueling statements:

Omurbek Tekebayev, a former Kyrgyz opposition leader who took charge of constitutional matters in the new government, said that "Russia played its role in ousting Bakiyev." "You've seen the level of Russia's joy when they saw Bakiyev gone," he told Reuters. "So now there is a high probability that the duration of the U.S. air base's presence in Kyrgyzstan will be shortened."

and

Roza Otunbayeva, a former foreign minister now heading the interim government, said there were no plans yet to review the lease agreement for the Manas air base, which runs out in July. She said her government would meet U.S. diplomats for talks in Bishkek. "Give us time, it will take time for us to understand and fix the situation," Otunbayeva said.

At this time I will place more weight on the statement from the new leader, Roza Otunbayeva. Manas pumps about $250M/year into the the economy. That's 5% of the nation's GDP. It will be even more this year.

Posted by ed 2010-04-08 20:47|| 2010-04-08 20:47|| Front Page Top

23:55 CrazyFool
23:32 Alaska Paul
22:39 SteveS
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21:45 KBK
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21:32 Mike
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20:58 Frank G
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20:38 phil_b
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