US wears out welcome at Kyrgyz base

Just a short follow up to the post “Kyrgyzstan to kick US out” - about the government of Kyrgyzstan’s decision to end the United States military’s lease at the Manas airport in their country. A lot of the commentary recently has been about how the Russian's have either threatened or bribed (or both) the Kyrgyz into deciding to end their relationship with the United States. But the Associated Press published a story today that shows the US did a lot of things to make themselves an unwanted guest in Kyrgyzstan.

According to the AP account, residents near Manas complained about excessive noise from Air Force planes and their dumping excess jet fuel that has killed off crops and orchards around the base. Worst of all was the killing of a local Kyrgyz man in 2006 by a security guard at the base. The US military bundled the soldier up and flew him out of the country, an action that hasn’t sat well with the man’s family.

Kyrgyz officials also said that the United States refused requests for an increase in the fees they pay to use the base, another factor in their decision to end the relationship. Russia, meanwhile, has offered the Kyrgyz government a package of aid and debt relief totaling over $2 billion.