Xinhua – May 8, 2013
BISHKEK – A group of Kyrgyzstan youth called for the withdrawal of American troops from the Manas airport on Tuesday to protest against the U.S. transit center in their country.
The “Jon element” (Just like) group wanted to attract public attention to the work of a U.S. military base that “carries a direct threat to the security of Kyrgyzstan,” said group leader Atay Beishenbek.
“The crash of a U.S. Air Force tanker in the country is one more proof that military aircraft should not place next to civilian aircraft at the international airport,” he said.
A U.S. military aircraft crashed on May 3 near the border with Kazakhstan shortly after taking off from a base used for flying troops into and out of Afghanistan and dispatching tankers to refuel warplanes in flight.
The U.S. transit center is adjacent to the Manas international airport 24 kilometers from the capital Bishkek.
President Almazbek Atambayev has repeatedly stated that when the agreement to use the base expires in 2014, the U.S. must withdraw unconditionally from the base, or in conjunction with a Russian Civic Center of traffic.