Friday, February 12, 2010
Bagram Air Base
American tax dollars are being spent on the construction or maintenance of approximately 700 military or security bases in Afghanistan, raising questions about President Barack Obama’s promise to begin pulling out of the country next year. An assessment by TomDispatch.com
revealed the presence of 400 bases or posts controlled by the U.S. or its allies, and another 300 Afghan army or police posts that are supported by the American military.
The Army Corps of Engineers spent more than $4.5 billion on construction projects, most of it base-building, in Afghanistan from 2002-2008. Additionally, since last year, the U.S. has allocated another $3 billion for more base work.
U.S. installations in the country vary from small remote outposts to gargantuan air bases. Bagram Air Base, which was once used by the Soviet Union during its occupation of Afghanistan, today houses more than 20,000 American military personnel, as well as thousands of coalition forces and civilian contractors. Kandahar Airfield, which has one of the busiest runways in the world, could have as many as 35,000 troops by the time President Obama’s surge is complete.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
The 700 Military Bases of Afghanistan: Black Sites in the Empire of Bases (by Nick Turse, TomDispatch.com)
Tomgram: Nick Turse, In Afghanistan, the Pentagon Digs (by Nick Turse, TomDispatch.com)
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