Kyrgyzstan: Manas Fully Operational, But NDN Re-supply Line Still Lags

Operations at the Manas Transit Center in Kyrgyzstan have returned to normal after days of uncertainty and disruptions. Yet, even though the key cog in the Northern Distribution Network is back in action, the re-supply line continues to encounter lengthy delays in delivering materiel to US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

More than 50,000 US troops passed through Manas on their way to and from Afghanistan in March. As the United States carries out its Afghan surge strategy, the facility is counted upon as a key forwarding and refueling post.

"The Transit Center at Manas has resumed normal operations. Refueling operations continue as usual and the transit of troops has resumed. Transiting coalition forces at the Transit Center are all awaiting scheduled airlift," Maj. Rickardo Bodden, spokesman for the Transit Center told EurasiaNet.org.

Bodden would not elaborate on why operations were disrupted, nor would he comment on the status of commercially hired trucks leaving Manas to deliver non-lethal goods to Afghanistan by road via Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

"For operational security reasons, I will not discuss the Northern Distribution Network (NDN)," he said. The NDN is a web of road, rail and air links that facilitate the re-supply of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan via Central Asia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Sources tell EurasiaNet.org that political upheaval in Kyrgyzstan "made a real mess" of deliveries on the NDN. Even before the April 6-7 unrest in Kyrgyzstan brought about the collapse of Kurmanbek Bakiyev's administration in Bishkek, goods traveling along the NDN by rail through Uzbekistan were experiencing a roughly 20-day delay at the Uzbek-Afghan border.

"One issue we're working on is a time delay at the border with Uzbekistan that was more than 30 days. We're working to try to get that reduced. We're closer to 20 days now, but we still need to reduce it further. In effect, they want 30 days to approve the transit of the shipment. Not for food, but the other materials," Vice Adm. Alan Thompson, Director, US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), told Defense News in early March.

When contacted by EurasiaNet.org, a spokesman for Uzbek Railways denied a 20-day delay existed on the Uzbek side. The official strongly hinted that the roots of DLA's problems were found in Afghanistan. "Usually it takes a day or a day-and-a-half for goods to cross the [Uzbek] border with Afghanistan, if the consignee is there and ready to receive goods and unload the wagons. It can't take 20 days. Probably, they have problems with customs," the Uzbek official said.

A source familiar with NDN operations said clearing Afghan customs was a process fraught with bureaucracy. "[The delay] probably has to do with the receipt of the Afghan tax exempt letters. This is a really long, complicated process and the Afghan government makes it as difficult as possible," the source said.

Clearing cargo requires protracted coordination among the US Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, the US Embassy in Kabul and the Afghan Foreign Ministry. Then, the Afghan Foreign Ministry has to issue authorizations to various other Afghan government ministries and agencies, and tax-exempt documentation has to be sent to local customs officials.

"All along the way, the bureaucrats make problems to extort bribes. And there are lots of details, container numbers, invoices, [and] trailer numbers that have to be included in the paper work. If any of them are wrong, the merry go round starts again," the source continued.

The best-case scenario for completing the paperwork is two weeks and while "in theory" it can be done in advance, it is "very hard to coordinate," the source said.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to questions about procedures for clearing non-military cargos arriving via the NDN. Dennis Gauci, a spokesman for DLA, said; "We are appreciative of the efforts of all countries involved in the Northern Distribution Network to expedite our cargo shipments."