United States forces are setting up a military base in Afghanistan close to Iran's eastern border, Iranian state radio said Sunday, quoting an Afghan official.
The military base is being established in a region near Islam-Qaleh in Herat province, in Afghanistan, near its border with Iran's northeastern Khorasan province, the Afghan official said on condition of anonymity.
"Agreement was reached to build this military base during the recent visit by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to Herat," the source added.
Rumsfeld made a four-day visit to Central Asia, including Afghanistan and a stop in Herat, in April. However, there was no official confirmation of the base report, according to AFP.
Earlier this month, Commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards warned that US threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran were "serious" and that the people should prepare to defend themselves.
Washington has implanted itself in Central Asia, considered host to vast energy reserves, since the September 11 attacks by the Al-Qaeda terror network, then based in Afghanistan. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
