Kyrgyz protesters demand U.S. troops pull out

[cal04]

Source: Reuters

Dozens of Kyrgyz protesters rallied outside the U.S. embassy in the capital Bishkek on Saturday demanding Washington pull its troops out of their Central Asian state.

Just days before the planned visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, activists shouted "Yankee go home!" and hoisted banners reading "No to the airbase".

The United States, which has more than 1,000 troops in the former Soviet state, set up the base in 2001 to support its operations in Afghanistan. Activists on Saturday urged the government to hold a referendum on shutting it down.

Kyrgyz officials renewed their action against the airbase after the fatal shooting of a Kyrgyz citizen by a U.S. airman at the base in December last year.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L02441748.htm

[Rydz777]

1. It boggles my mind that we have 1,000 troops stationed in

Kyrgyzstan (I hope that's the right way to spell it.) Is there any godforsaken spot on this earth, either green or parched, that we do not feel compelled to insert troops into?

[struggle4progress]

2. Kyrgyz activists urge closure of U.S. military base (AP)

~snip~ About 50 activists held a protest outside the U.S. Embassy, holding banners reading «Kyrgyzstan is not a beachhead for war» and «NATO get out of Kyrgyz territory.»

The Foreign Ministry said last month that any use of the base beyond the Afghanistan operation would be «unacceptable» _ an apparent reflection of concerns it might be used for strikes inside Iran or Iraq. Several lawmakers have said they will initiate a bill calling for the base's closure.

Last year, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev threatened to evict U.S. forces unless Washington agreed to significantly boost the amount its pays for the base. The U.S. eventually agreed to pay Kyrgyzstan US$150 million (¤110 million) in 2006 in the form of aid and rent. ~snip~

http://www.pr-inside.com/kyrgyz-activists-urge-closure-of-u-s-r141972.htm