Text Fwd: Anger In Kyrgyzstan Over Plane Noise, Fuel-Dumping At US Base Vital To Afghan War

Forward from: Stephanie Westbrook, nousbases@lists.riseup.net, Agatha Haun

* Image caption from the original source*

US military planes , are seen at Manas US military base in Bishkek airport Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev last week announced the closure of the base, which is a crucial staging post for coalition operations in Afghanistan. The U.S. began using the Manas base in December 2001. (AP Photo/Igor Kovalenko) (Igor Kovalenko - AP)

Anger In Kyrgyzstan Over Plane Noise, Fuel-Dumping At US Base Vital To Afghan War

Peter Leonard,
Associated Press, Friday, February 13, 2009; 10:56 AM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2009/02/13/AR20090213
01234.html

Mramornaya, Kyrgyzstan - For many in this ramshackle village just outside
the last U.S. base in Central Asia, news the Americans may be leaving
hasn't come a moment too soon.

Villagers voice grievances about pollution, airplane noise and the killing of a
Kyrgyz citizen by an Air Force serviceman. Some also fear the American
presence could drag their country into a regional conflict.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev took Washington by surprise this
month in announcing the closure of the Manas air base, which the U.S.
wants as a springboard for sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan

Bakiyev's government has accused the U.S. of refusing to pay enough for
the base and has gotten a better offer from Russia. But the opposition of
ordinary Kyrgyz to the base would make it easier to evict the Americans.

Bakiyev is under pressure because of the deepening economic crisis and is
expected to call early presidential elections this year. The injection of
Russian cash could help him prop up his popularity through increased
social spending.

One of the most contentious issues surrounding the base is the fatal
shooting of truck driver Alexander Ivanov in late 2006 as a routine security
check was conducted on his vehicle. U.S. officials claimed Ivanov
threatened the serviceman with a knife. Bakiyev has cited the case as a
reason for closing Manas.

Ivanov's widow, Marina Ivanova, says she is angry that the senior airman
responsible for her husband's death has not been held accountable and
says the $55,000 she received from the U.S. government as compensation
is inadequate. ... Villagers in Mramornaya say fuel dumped by aircraft
landing at Manas is causing skin conditions and other illnesses, while killing
off their crops. "We used to have pears, apples and tomatoes growing
here," said Zima Osmonova, a history teacher. "Now all the trees here have
dried out and the crops don't grow any longer."

Osmonova also complained about the plane noise. "If there was an
earthquake, I wouldn't know the difference," she said.

Some villagers also are concerned that the base could one day be used to
launch a strike on Iran, prompting a retaliatory attack against Kyrgyzstan.