US closes airbase in Kyrgyzstan

 A U.S. airbase in Kyrgyzstan held a closing ceremony Tuesday, ending its 12-year presence in the Central Asian nation.
"Kyrgyzstan has played a strategic role in the international community in supporting the (Manas) Transit Center," Colonel John Millard, commander of the base, said at the ceremony.
Some 5.5 million troops of the international anti-terror coalition have passed through the base since it was established in late 2001 after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he added.
About 300 U.S. troops stationed at the base are to leave the Kyrgyz territory by July 11 under an agreement signed in June 2009 by the two countries.