Uzbekistan evicts US from military base

UZBEKISTAN has formally evicted the US from a military base that has served as a hub for its combat operations in Afghanistan, the US State Department confirmed.

“I can confirm that our embassy in Tashkent received a diplomatic note from the Uzbek government late last week to terminate the agreement for use of the K-2 air field,” Nancy Beck, a spokesperson for the State Department said.

“This is a bilateral agreement between two sovereign nations and under that agreement, either side has the option to terminate the agreement,” Ms Beck said.

The Washington Post had reported earlier in the day that a courier from the Uzbek foreign ministry delivered a notice of the eviction from Karshi-Khanabad air base, known as K2, to the US Embassy in Tashkent on Friday.

Uzbekistan will give the US 180 days to move aircraft, personnel and equipment, according to the report.

Karshi-Khanabad has been a landing base to transfer humanitarian goods that are then taken by road into northern Afghanistan.

K2 is also a refuelling base with a runway long enough for large military aircraft.