US suspends flights from base in Kyrgyzstan - Summary

Washington - The US military has suspended flights through an air force base in Kyrgyzstan following deadly fighting in the central Asian nation, a spokesman confirmed Saturday.

Flights to transport troops and weapons to Afghanistan will now go through another base rather than the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan, said Major John Redfield, a spokesman for US Central Command in Florida.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke Saturday with Roza Otunbayeva, the former foreign minister appointed by the opposition to head the new government after an uprising toppled President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Otunbayeva said the country would abide by existing agreements regarding the use of the base, the State Department said in a statement. Clinton offered humanitarian assistance and voiced US support for efforts to peacefully solve the country's political problems.

The decision on the flights was made late Friday and any move to resume flights would be made by US military personnel in the region based on developments in the country, Redfield said.

The move has not disrupted supplies into Afghanistan, he said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318041,us-suspends-flights-from-base-in-kyrgyzstan--summary.html.