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| Kyrgyz MPs vote to shut US base | Kyrgyz MPs vote to shut US base |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Kyrgyzstan's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of closing a strategic US air base that supports US and Nato operations in Afghanistan. | Kyrgyzstan's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of closing a strategic US air base that supports US and Nato operations in Afghanistan. |
| The decision was passed by 78 votes to two against. The US now has 180 days to leave the base. | The decision was passed by 78 votes to two against. The US now has 180 days to leave the base. |
| President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the closure plan of the Manas base earlier this month in Moscow, where Russia pledged $2bn (£1.4bn) in aid. | President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the closure plan of the Manas base earlier this month in Moscow, where Russia pledged $2bn (£1.4bn) in aid. |
| Bishkek denies any link between the move to shut the base and Moscow's aid. | Bishkek denies any link between the move to shut the base and Moscow's aid. |
| Thousands of US soldiers pass through the base every month on their way in and out of Afghanistan. See map of existing and possible supply routes in the region | |
| It is also home to the large tanker aircraft that are used for in-air refuelling of fighter planes on combat missions, and it serves as a key supply hub. | |
| For the US, the decision comes at a critical moment, as the new administration of President Barack Obama plans a sharp increase in the number of American troops in Afghanistan. | |
| For Russia, on the other hand, its closure would be a diplomatic victory as it seeks to reassert its influence in former Soviet republics, analysts say. | |
| Tashkent talks | |
| With supply lines to Afghanistan via Pakistan increasingly threatened by militant attacks, Washington has intensified talks with other countries in the region in the wake of President Bakiyev's announcement. | |
| On Tuesday, the US commander for the Middle East and Central Asia, General David Petraeus, held talks in Uzbekistan, which has rail links with Afghanistan. | On Tuesday, the US commander for the Middle East and Central Asia, General David Petraeus, held talks in Uzbekistan, which has rail links with Afghanistan. |
| The US has already reached deals with Russia and Kazakhstan to send non-military cargo to Afghanistan using their rail networks, but the supplies would have to go through Uzbekistan. | The US has already reached deals with Russia and Kazakhstan to send non-military cargo to Afghanistan using their rail networks, but the supplies would have to go through Uzbekistan. |
| The US used to have an air base in Uzbekistan that served troops operating in Afghanistan. | |
| But Uzbek authorities closed it in 2005 after criticism from the US and EU over a crackdown on a mass protest in the town of Andijan. | |
| EXISTING/POSSIBLE SUPPLY ROUTES TO TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN 1. Manas airbase: the only US base in Central Asia, a vital transit point for Nato and US operations. Kyrgyz government wants it closed.2. Karshi-Khanabad airbase: US forces were ordered out in 2005. Uzbekistan may agree to allow it to be used for non-military transports. 3. Bridge over Panj river: part-funded by the US, it was completed in 2007. May serve as another supply route into Afghanistan.4. Khyber Pass: most supplies to US and Nato troops come through Pakistan. Increasing number of attacks in the area mean the US army is looking for back-up routes. Return | EXISTING/POSSIBLE SUPPLY ROUTES TO TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN 1. Manas airbase: the only US base in Central Asia, a vital transit point for Nato and US operations. Kyrgyz government wants it closed.2. Karshi-Khanabad airbase: US forces were ordered out in 2005. Uzbekistan may agree to allow it to be used for non-military transports. 3. Bridge over Panj river: part-funded by the US, it was completed in 2007. May serve as another supply route into Afghanistan.4. Khyber Pass: most supplies to US and Nato troops come through Pakistan. Increasing number of attacks in the area mean the US army is looking for back-up routes. Return |