Did anyone notice we got kicked out of Kyrgyzstan, effective last week?

[dixiegrrrrl]

But we left $30 million worth of arms and equipment there, so there is that....

A mountainous, landlocked country in central Asia, Kyrgyzstan largely lacks industry, natural resources, and energy reserves. But for years, the country has boasted one foreign credential that all other nations lacked, hosting both a Russian and US military base.

Now, that's changed. On July 11, the US officially vacated its lease at the Manas Transit Centre - formerly the Manas Air Base - and rerouted personnel and materiel to a base in Romania. Nearly 13 years after the US first began using Manas for fuelling and transit missions through Afghanistan, management of the facilities was officially handed over to Kyrgyz authorities on June 3, with some $30m worth of equipment and facilities remaining.

While Washington continues to seek potential new bases in the region, the US is, in effect, vacating Central Asia.

But the US decision did not come of its own volition. Rather, the eviction stems from a fraught history and external pressures, which in 2013 convinced the Kyrgyz parliament to demand US withdrawal.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/07/us-power-wane-central-asia-2014714115610933763.html

[arcane1]

1. I have now. Thanks for posting this!

I'm fascinated by what it must feel like to live in a country with foreign military bases in it.

[GP6971]

2. Original turnover date

was supposed to be 31 July, but we left early.