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The '''Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base''' is a military base located near the Black Sea city of Constanta Constanza in [[Romania]]. [http://useu.usmission.gov/Article.asp?ID=E274DE79-1EDE-4BB6-AB3E-84FF14B75FF1]
==2003 Invasion of Iraq==
"US soldiers used the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase as a hub to send equipment and 7,000 combat troops into [[Iraq]] during the early stages of the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion in 2003]], and temporarily kept up to 3,500 American troops there." [http://www.iran-daily.com/1384/2441/html/politic.htm#s110232][http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=344170]
By July 2003, "U.S. contracts [had] already paid for Romanian crews to resurface and widen two roads and build landing areas that can accommodate large American troop carriers." [http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,930323,00.html]
==Extraordinary Rendition==
According to a June 2006 report in the ''Sunday Herald'' (UK), a fax intercepted by [[Switzerland|Swiss]] intelligence has revealed that the base is [http://www.blick.ch/sonntagsblick/aktuell/artikel30413 the site ] of a secret [[CIA]] prison:{{ref|mackay11June06}}
:"The fax, datelined November 10, 2005, 8.24pm, was sent by the [[Egypt|Egyptian]] foreign minister, [[Ahmed Aboul Gheit]], in Cairo, to his ambassador in London. It revealed that the US had detained at least 23 [[Iraq]]i and [[Afghanistan|Afghani]] captives at a military base called Mihail Kogalniceanu in Romania, and added that similar secret prisons were also to be found in [[Poland]], [[Ukraine]], [[Kosovo]], [[Macedonia]] and [[Bulgaria]].
*[http://www.usbiz.ro/us_news_file/press_releases163.php3 "Two US Senators Visit US and Romanian Military at Mihail Kogalniceanu,"] Embassy of the United States of America (Romania), April 14, 2003. re [[Mary Landrieu]] of Louisiana and [[Larry Craig]] of Idaho: "US Ambassador Michael Guest and the Senators toured the medical facilities on base, met for lunch with US military personnel, and saw the base's 'morale center.'"
*[http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=344170 "US to set up two military bases in Romania`s Black Sea region,"] Angola Press, May 26, 2003: "Valeriu Nicut, director of the strategic planning department of the Romanian general staff, ... said Romania will offer the United States the Mihail Kogalniceanu military base, a military camp and a shooting range near the camp and will provide logistic support."
*[http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,930323,00.html "Balkans Hope To Land U.S. Bases,"] ''Deutsche Welle'' (Germany), July 7, 2003: "In Romania, the Americans are interested in the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base as well as the Babdag training range and the Black Sea port of Constanza. While the U.S. says no decisions have been made, American General Gregory Martin confirmed that negotiations are taking place."
====2004====
====2006====
*[http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,394208,00.html "Egyptian Fax Throws Light on 'Black Sites',"] ''Spiegel Online'', January 9, 2006.
*[http://www.lastingnews.com/?p=84 "CIA Secret prisons and torture : fresh evidence,"] ''LastingNews.com'', January 11, 2006. See original Sandro Brotz and Beat Jost, ''Sonntags Blick'' article (in German) [http://www.blick.ch/sonntagsblick/aktuell/artikel30413 "CIA-Skandal. US-Folter-Camps: Der Beweis!"], which shows Reuters photograph from camp.
*Kevin Sullivan, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/04/AR2006020400162.html "Romanians Eager for Long-Awaited Arrival of the Yanks,"] ''Washington Post'', February 6, 2006: "Mihail Kogaliceanu ... U.S. soldiers have been the talk of this poor little town since last month, when U.S. and Romanian officials announced that the Romanian air force base here would soon host the first permanent U.S. military presence in a former Warsaw Pact country."
*[http://www.tkb.org/NewsStory.jsp?storyID=105414 "Romanian president says CIA flights may have landed in country,"] Associated Press (MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base), February 8, 2006.
*Jan Sliva, [http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CIA_SECRET_PRISONS?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=HOME "Probe of CIA prisons implicates EU nations,"] Associated Press (PilotOnline.com), June 7, 2006.
*{{note|mackay11June06}}Neil Mackay, "[http://www.sundayherald.com/56171 The fax that reveals the US is flying terror suspects to Europe’s secret jails]", ''Sunday Herald'' (Scotland), June 11, 2006.
*Philip Ó Ceallaigh, [http://www.vivid.ro/index.php/issue/78/page/investigation "Investigation: Romania– a Romania–a CIA 'black site'?"] ''Vivid'', June 12, 2006.
[[Category:Extraordinary rendition]]
[[Category:Romania]]