The Kyrgyz National Guards will take Manas Airfield under their control today, according to Deputy Commander of the National Guards Mirbek Imayev. He clarified that the U.S. will leave the airfield before the lease deal expires on July 11, RIA Novosti reports.
The U.S. will leave property worth about $30 million on the territory of over 220 hectares on the outskirts of Bishkek.
The U.S. air base at Manas International Airport was created in December 2001 to help the Enduring Freedom Operation in Afghanistan. It was renamed to the Manas Transit Center. The facility was used to fuel aircraft, transport cargo and troops. In 2010, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev said that the military facility should be closed. He handed the U.S. a note, stating that the Center will close on July 11, 2014.
U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Pamela Spratlen said that the last U.S. soldier will leave Kyrgyzstan in a week.
