U.S. Evicted From Air Base In Uzbekistan

The Washington Post and New York Times have just reported Uzbekistan formally evicted the United States yesterday from Karshi-Khanabad air base, known as K2, a military base that has served as a hub for combat and humanitarian missions to Afghanistan since shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The United States has paid $15 million to Uzbek authorities for use of the airfield since 2001 Pentagon and State Department officials said yesterday.

The notice of eviction, was delivered by a courier from the Uzbek Foreign Ministry to the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent said an Embassy official. No reason was given and Uzbekistan will give the United States 180 days to move aircraft, personnel and equipment, U.S. officials said.

"We always think ahead. We'll be fine," Rumsfeld said last Sunday when asked how the United States would cope with losing the base in Uzbekistan.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman in May said access to the K2 airfield "undeniably critical in supporting our combat operations" and humanitarian deliveries. The United States has paid $15 million to Uzbek authorities for use of the airfield since 2001, he said.

Pentagon spokesman Lawrence T. Di Rita said that the U.S. military does not depend on any single airbase in any part of the world. "We'll be able to conduct our operations as we need to, regardless of how this turns out. It's a diplomatic issue at the moment,"

The eviction notice came four days before Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns was due to arrive in Tashkent for talks with the government of President Islam Karimov principly to discuss issues arising from the wholesale slaughter of civilians in cold blood by State Police and troops during the bloody protests in the province of Andijan in May. Burns was said to be threatening (in the politest possible way) that unless Karomiv opened up politically – he risked the kind of upheavals witnessed recently in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. The trip he planned with 3 Senators has been called off.

Karimov has refused an international probe into the bloody massacre at Andijan. As U.S. pressure has mounted, he cut off U.S. night flights and some cargo flights, forcing Washington to move search-and-rescue operations and some cargo flights to Bagram air base in Afghanistan and Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan and also Incirlik in Turkey where permission for more flights were granted in early June. (see earlier posts in May)

This action was predicted by ETHAN WILENSKY-LANFORD in the New York Times on July 8, 2005. It also emphasises Rummy’s roundabout routing to Kyrgistan and Tajikistan in the week ending up by trip in Baghdad to overse the preparations for the forthcoming reduction if US forces in Iraq. (see previous Blog - Mien Kampf) Pic for the memory hole as Dubya presses the flesh with butcher Karimov - play with the bully boys George - feel at home.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was making herself busy on the phone on Thursday and Friday with Kyrgyz leaders to arrange for the flight out of 450 Uzbek refugeesfrom Kyrgistan. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees airlifted them to Romania on Friday. She had been busy earlier in the week with Burns stitching up a deal Congress to change a 1978 law barring U.S. nuclear energy aid to nuclear-weapons states, as well as an accord of a coalition of countries known as the Nuclear Suppliers Group including European countries that India can buy supplies for civil nuclear power without surrendering to International inspection of their military reactors. This deal ditches 40 years of Anti Proliferation control but opens up the lucrative and prosperous Indian Civil nuclear energy market to all.

"We always think ahead" says Rummy ... well you could have fooled me.