US and Kyrgystan agree on Afghan transit route

The US and Kyrgyzstan sign a deal to create a centre for the transit of non-military goods to Afghanistan through the Central Asian country's Manas airbase.

The United States and Kyrgyzstan have signed a deal to create a centre for the transit of non-military goods to Afghanistan through the Central Asian country's Manas airbase, an official said today. "The US and Kyrgyzstan agreed on the opening of a centre for the transit of goods to Afghanistan at the Manas airport," a source in the Kyrgyz government told the AFP news agency, confirming that an agreement had been signed.

Kyrgyzstan had ordered US forces to quit the US airbase at Manas - which is used to support operations in Afghanistan - by August 18 in a decision widely seen as made under pressure from Moscow. "The status of the airbase has changed. It will now transport non-military cargo to Afghanistan. The agreement should be ratified today by the Kyrgyz parliament," the source added. *AFP