US Needs Kyrgyz Base to Fight Taliban
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday, June 05, 2007, Washington's agreement to use a military air base in Kyrgyzstan was necessary to support the war in Afghanistan. Last month Kyrgyz lawmakers urged the government to evict US troops from the base which is an important hard currency earner for the impoverished Central Asian state. The United States has about 1,200 US troops in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz officials have demanded Washington pay more for the use of the base.