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March 2, 2009 |
Kyrgyzstan and Manas Air Base
Late last month, the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan voted - by an overwhelming margin - to terminate their lease to the United States of Manas Air Base, and required the Americans to vacate the base within six months. The vote followed closely on the heels of an earlier announcement that Russia would be providing over $2 billion in financial aid to Kyrgyzstan. Manas is a crucial air base for operations in and around Afghanistan, and U.S. officials remain hopeful that there may still be room for negotiation. The majority of Kyrgyzstan's population appears to have little concern about the closure, instead focusing on their own struggles to get by, as migrant work in Russia has recently evaporated, and jobs at home in Kyrgyzstan are hard to come by. News photos from Kyrgyzstan are few and far between - that said, here is a collection of recent scenes from festivals, rural life, and Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan. (25 photos total)

Horsemen scuffle in front of a goal as one side attempts to score during the Kyrgyzstan's Kok-boru Presidential Cup in the capital Bishkek March 18, 2008. Kok-boru, or goat grabbing, is a traditional Central Asian horse game that is considered Kyrgyzstan's national sport. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan each sent four teams to part in the cup. (REUTERS/Vladimir Pirogov) #

The Kyrgyz parliament meets to vote on the fate of the US aribase in Manas, in Bishkek on February 19, 2009. The Kyrgyz parliament voted overwhelmingly to close a US military base on its territory that serves as a key supply route for coalition forces in neighbouring Afghanistan. (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images) #

A Kyrgyz woman washes her clothes by hand on the street in the Ak-Ordo region on the outskirts of Bishkek on February 22, 2009. Indifferent to a row over the US airbase in their country, the mass of poor struggling to cope on the fringes of Bishkek reflect the gulf between rulers and ruled in ex-Soviet Central Asia. (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images) #
An interactive Google Map of Manas Airfield, north of Kyrgyzstan's capital of Bishkek. View Larger Map #
More links and information
Kyrgyz base closure points to region in crisis - AFP, 2/26
Kyrgyzstan - Wikipedia entry
Kyrgyzstan - NYTimes.com Topics page