Pentagon: Manas base not irreplaceable

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A senior Pentagon official Thursday said closure of a U.S. airbase in Kyrgyzstan won't affect military operations in Afghanistan.

Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted 79-1 to close Manas Air Base, a logistics hub for the U.S. military in Central Asia.

The base "is an important base for operations in Afghanistan, but it's not irreplaceable," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said in Washington. "If it's not available to us, we'll find other means."

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev must sign the bill for the eviction to be official. U.S. troops would then have 180 days to withdraw, based on a previous agreement made by the United States and Kyrgyzstan, Whitman said.

While Defense Department officials are aware of news reports about Bakiyev's intentions to close the base, the United States hasn't received official notification or orders to withdraw its military forces, Whiteman said.

"Our operations there today remain normal," he said.

About 15,000 people and 500 tons of cargo transit through Manas each month, the Defense Department said. The base houses about 1,000 troops, most of them from the United States, but also from France and Spain.

U.S. President Barack Obama authorized 17,000 more troops this week to reinforce international forces in Afghanistan. Whitman said there will be no disruption in current or future operations there.

Bakiyev announced plans to close the only U.S. airbase in Central Asia after talks in Moscow in early February, when he secured more than $2 billion in aid and loans from Russia. However, Bakiyev denied any link between his decision and the financial package.