Farkhor Air Base: Difference between revisions

{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}

'''Farkhor Air Base''' is a military air base located near the town of [[Farkhor]] in [[Tajikistan]], {{convert|130|km|mi}} southeast of the capital [[Dushanbe]].<ref name=th2008>{{cite news|title=Making the water boil in Afghanistan|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/09/stories/2008070955191000.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080712223243/http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/09/stories/2008070955191000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 July 2008|access-date=1 February 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=9 July 2008}}</ref> It is operated by the [[Indian Air Force]]<ref name=bhardwaj>{{cite book|last=Bhardwaj|first=AP|title=Study Package For Clat 2nd Edition|year=2010|publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education|isbn=0-07-107468-6|pages=B-349}}</ref> in collaboration with the [[Tajik Air Force]].<ref name=tt2006>{{cite news|title=India to station MiG-29 fighter-bombers at Tajikistan base|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060422/main6.htm|access-date=1 February 2012|newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|date=22 April 2006}}</ref> Farkhor is [[India]]'s first military base outside its territory.<ref name=th2008/>

In 1996-97, the [[Research and Analysis Wing]] (RAW) started negotiations with Tajikistan to use the Farkhor Air Base to transport high-altitude military supplies to the [[Afghan Northern Alliance]], service their helicopters and gather intelligence. At that time, India operated a small military hospital in the Farkhor region.<ref name=th2008/> The hospital at Farkhor was used to treat Afghan Northern Alliance members injured in fighting with the [[Taliban]], including military leader [[Ahmed Shah Massoud]], who was rushed there after a suicide attack against him.<ref name=toi11>{{cite news|title=India to open military hospital in Tajikistan|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-to-open-military-hospital-in-Tajikistan/articleshow/10810702.cms|access-date=1 February 2012|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=21 November 2011}}</ref>  In 2002, India acknowledged that it was setting up an air base in Farkhor.<ref name=at02>{{cite news|title=Indian military shadow over Central Asia|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DI10Df01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020917091458/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DI10Df01.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=17 September 2002|access-date=1 February 2012|newspaper=[[Asia Times]]|date=10 September 2002}}</ref> It was secured with assistance from Russia.<ref name=tm09>{{cite news|title=India, Pakistan and the Battle for Afghanistan|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1945666,00.html|access-date=1 February 2012|newspaper=[[Time Magazine|Time]]|date=5 December 2009}}</ref> The airbase was in a dilapidated condition<ref name=deathwave>{{cite book|last=William H. Keith|first=Stephen Coonts|title=Death Wave|year=2011|publisher=Quercus|isbn=0-85738-520-8|pages=4}}</ref> and was not used since the 1980s. The Indian Government awarded a $10 million tender to a private builder in 2003 to restore the airbase by 2005. After the builder defaulted, the [[Border Roads Organisation]] stepped in to complete the work.<ref name=tt2006/> In 2006, India was considering deploying a squadron of [[MiG 29]] aircraft at the base.<ref>

The Farkhor Air Base would give the Indian military the required depth and range in seeking a larger role in the [[Indian Subcontinent]] and is a tangible manifestation of India’s move to project its power in Central Asia.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}

The potential implications of this base go far beyond the Indo-Pakistani rivalry on the subcontinent. Pakistan fears being encircled by India with the base in Farkhor operational.<ref name=twp08>{{cite news|title=India-Afghanistan Relations|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102301577.html|access-date=1 February 2012|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=23 October 2008}}</ref> In 2003 the President of Pakistan [[Pervez Musharraf]] raised concerns to the Tajik government over the fact that Indian planes would be able reach Pakistan within minutes using the air base.<ref name=tt03>{{cite news|title=India to base planes in Tajikistan|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031115/main1.htm|access-date=1 February 2012|newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|date=15 November 2003}}</ref>