The U.S. armed forces have cut back operations from their Uzbek air base since clashes between rebels and Uzbek government forces cost hundreds of lives last week, the head of U.S. Central Command said in a news release issued on Friday. "We have decided to make sure that we're cautious about how we're operating," said General John Abizaid in response to a question about whether the scaling down of the operation came because of the attacks, Reuters reported. Since the attacks, the United States had decided to continue operations from the base "although at a limited, somewhat limited scale", he said in a transcript of a Thursday news conference. Washington has used the air base in Uzbekistan for support missions since the war against the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, but has added its voice to international criticism of the Uzbek government in recent days over its role in the violence.
