Closure of US base in Kyrgyzstan could alter Afghanistan strategy

One more nail in the coffin of the Uni-polar world ~~t

US attempts to supply coalition troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan were in danger of suffering a major setback today after Kyrgyzstan signalled it was considering shutting down a key US military base.

The central Asian republic is contemplating closing down the US military facility near its capital Bishkek. The Manas airbase - home to 1,000 US army personnel since 2001 - is a key staging post for coalition forces fighting in nearby Afghanistan.

Both US and Nato commanders have expressed dismay at the possible closure.

It comes at a time when Nato is desperately trying to expand its supply routes to Afghanistan via the northern countries of central Asia following a series of devastating attacks on truck convoys from Pakistan.

Russia has been pressuring Kyrgyzstan to evict the Americans, amid unease in Russia's military at the US's growing footprint in central Asia, an area Moscow regards as its backyard. The Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev was today in Moscow holding talks with Russia's president Dmitry Medvedev.