Kyrgyzstan to extend US lease on key airbase | World news | The Guardian: "supporters. Photograph: Denis Sinyakov/Reuters
Kyrgyzstan's interim government will extend the lease of a US airbase vital to the war in Afghanistan, the country's acting president said today .
Roza Otunbayeva said the agreement allowing the US to use the Manas base would be prolonged after the current one-year deal expires in July.
'It will be automatically extended,' she said, without specifying how long the extension would last.
The US base at the capital's international airport provides refuelling flights for warplanes over Afghanistan, and serves as an important transit hub for troops."
