US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has arrived in Afghanistan, BBC reports.
His visit was organized before the incident on Sunday, when a US soldier killed 16 peaceful Afghan citizens, provoking new anti-American protests. The protests were also inspired by an earlier incident, when the US military burned Muslims books at a base.
Panetta plans to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The US defense secretary visited Bishkek a day earlier and thanked Kyrgyzstan for support of the Manas transit center. He emphasized that it is an essential part in supplying US troops in Afghanistan. The center becomes even more vital with closing of transit through Pakistan. Islamabad stopped US transit in November 2011, as a response to a US air raid against two Pakistani control posts on the border of Afghanistan.
Kyrgyz authorities want demilitarization of Manas. Secretary of the Kyrgyz Defense Council Busurmankul Tabaldiyev clarified that Kyrgyzstan is ready to transport non-military cargo to Afghanistan after 2014. The Manas Airport should have no military cargo and troops. Bishkek saw protests at the government building with people demanding the US base be closed down.
