U.S. raids could come from former Soviet bases

WASHINGTON -- U.S. military officials planning strikes in Afghanistan can choose from dozens of Central Asia bases to launch the attacks -- including some the former Soviet Union used during its Afghan war.

Bases in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan that were used by the Russians during the 1979-89 war also could be staging areas for smaller groups of special forces.

"The lowest risk to those forces is in Central Asia," said retired Navy Rear Admiral Stephen Baker.

If the United States attacks Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and the Taliban rulers who shelter him, the military could need anything from a small dirt airstrip or helicopter landing pad to a long, paved runway for supply planes. U.S. troops also would need areas to pitch tents or other temporary shelters.

Pakistan, another potential staging area, shares a long border with Afghanistan and has pledged to help President Bush battle terror after the Sept. 11 attacks for which bin Laden is the prime suspect.

Pakistan unlikely spot

However, 2 million Afghan refugees and many others sympathetic to bin Laden live in Pakistan, making it a more dangerous and less likely launching pad for strikes in Afghanistan, Baker and other analysts say.

The former Soviet states are more attractive.

"It's almost certainly the case that someone's making the argument that we're better off getting an airfield out in the middle of nowhere that doesn't have a population nearby, where we can set up our own security," said military analyst John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org.

Uzbekistan, which has offered direct help to the United States, shares a short border with Afghanistan. One of the largest Soviet bases for its Afghan war was near Termez, an Uzbek city on the Afghan border.

That airfield has been turned over to civilian control but is still believed to be suitable for military operations. Being so near the Afghan border could pose a security problem, however.

Uzbekistan has an air base at Khanabad, about 90 miles from the Afghan border, and an air and ground forces base at Kokaidy, about a dozen miles from the border. Another combined air/ground base is in Chirchik, 50 miles east of the capital, Tashkent, and more than 250 miles from the border.

Other Soviet bases

Russian President Vladimir Putin said other former Soviet republics in the region could offer their bases to U.S. forces -- specifically mentioning the airport at Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. That airport, however, has drawbacks: It is in a large city and is already used for commercial flights, Pike said.

"With a large urban population nearby, you've got to be worried about demonstrators at the gate, or al-Qaida operatives or sympathizers," Pike said.

Tajikistan has bases in the towns of Kulyab and Parkhar, about 60 miles from the Afghan border. The anti-Taliban northern alliance rebels use those bases when they fly to Tajikistan for supplies.

The Russian army also has a base in Dushanbe, and Russian border guards have a base and dozens of checkpoints along the Tajik border.