US Air Base in Uzbekistan Causes Significant Changes for Local Residents

It has been more than a year since US forces first deployed at Uzbekistan's Khanabad air base as part of the campaign against terrorism. Over that span, the quality of life for area residents has changed dramatically. For many, proximity to the base has translated into jobs and rising income. But arrival of US troops has also caused economic dislocation – especially for area farmers.

According to local residents, when the first US military planes began arriving at Khanabad in October 2001 – less than a month following the September 11 terrorist attacks – they would land only at night and with all lights turned off. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archives]. Such precautions were taken presumably to lower the chances of a terrorist attack against an incoming aircraft with a surface to air missile, and to make it more difficult for area residents to see what was going on. These days, however, US aircraft take off and land at all hours.

The US deployment transformed the village of Khanabad, located near the base. Barbed-wire fences were erected that effectively cut the village off from the outside. Soldiers posted at checkpoints supposedly will not permit anyone who is not an officially registered village resident to enter Khanabad. But locals say quietly that "an exception" is made for those who offer either a payment or a gift to a sentry.

The base's presence has altered the social habits of local residents, as the security measures make it difficult, if not impossible, to host visiting friends and relatives. "If we plan a big event, we have to inform the Makhalla (neighborhood) Committee well in advance," says one Khanabad resident. "If anyone dies, it is a doubly troubling for family members, as many of them will not be able to participate in burial ceremonies.

"Sometimes, they [soldiers at checkpoints] do not even let in people accompanying the deceased from the hospital if those people do not have [proper identification] with them," the resident added.

Local residents additionally complain that sentries around the town are prone to corruption, seeking payment for a variety of services. The sentries explain that long delays in the payment of their official salaries force them to seek "alternative" income, Khanabad residents say.

Despite the inconveniences, many village residents are glad to be living near the US base. Unemployment has declined dramatically in the area, as many previously out-of-work young people have found jobs "on American territory." About 70 percent of the village's 5,000 residents are classified as young people, says Ota-ulla Ziyatov, chairman of the Khanabad Makhalla Committee. Local residents tend to be employed in the laundry and kitchen facilities. They also work in janitorial and repair capacities, keeping the base clean.

"Of course, the airbase had a certain positive effect on living standards in the village. Working conditions at the airbase are very good: villagers working there are provided with clothes, footwear and food. Monthly wages are between 70,000 and 100,000 Uzbek soms [$55-80 at the black market exchange rate – a relatively large salary for rural residents]," Ziyatov said. As an added benefit, Ziyatov continued, anecdotal evidence indicates that the village has experienced a significant drop in crime over the past year.

Locals who are now employed at the base echo Ziyatov's sentiments. "I have worked as an electrician at the US base for two months now. Working conditions are better than on the Uzbek territory," says Shukur, a village resident.

Most of those working at the base are reluctant to disclose details concerning their salaries. They fear that if word gets out, soldiers at checkpoints may further increase the "tax" for entering the village.

Local farmers are less enthusiastic about the air base. Many of the best cow pastures are now off limits, behind barbed-wire fences. Area residents say that cows are vital to the village's livelihood, not only for meat and milk, but also as a source of energy. In winter, they add, the pressure in local gas pipeline falls significantly, leaving residents without a reliable energy supply. Many villagers have already started purchasing coal to prepare for the onset of winter. Poorer residents rely on dried cow dung for heating.

"Some cannot afford to buy coal," says a village resident. "Our family lives from hand to mouth. It is very shameful, but we have to gather cow dung. It will help us survive another winter. After the base was barbed-wired, my son cannot gather enough. He used to gather it in the pastures. There is only one hope: maybe, they will hire him to work at the airbase."

Other residents say that the air base's recent expansion caused a serious reduction in the village's water supply. If the village's irrigation system is not restored by the end of the year, area farmers say the winter wheat crop will be jeopardized. Some experts estimated the cost of restoring the irrigation system at about $30,000.

"The Americans were expanding the air base so they needed more land. The base used to occupy 300 hectares. They have recently taken 33 more hectares including the land our canal flowed from," said one village elder. "They promised to compensate but nothing has been done so far."

In general, the topic of compensation is a sore subject with area farmers. "What is most frustrating is that I spent almost a year knocking the doors of different government structures to get this land," said one farmer. "I had great plans connected with the land; I invested huge money in my farm. And now, just two years after I received the land, they take it away from me having only compensated a half of my investments."

Several farmers have applied to the local administration to receive land in other locations in return for the land taken over by the Khanabad air base. Regional officials have yet to review the matter, however, as they are preoccupied with the cotton harvest.

Rumors are now rife in the village that the Americans are planning another round of expansion, and will hire more locals to fill construction jobs. The increase in traffic of construction materials into the base is helping keep the rumor alive, area residents say.