Dozens United By Crisis In Kyrgyzstan

All 192 people in the United States who were aware of the existence of Kyrgyzstan before last week’s revolution are closely watching events in the former Soviet republic.
Dozens gathered in their living rooms, while one man was seen nervously pacing outside the Kyrgyzstani consulate in New York Friday. He declined to comment.
At Teddy’s Grill in Manalapan, NJ, Al G. Broder, a construction worker, interrupted his pool game to watch an update on the departure of Kyrgyzstani President Askar Akayev and the release of opposition leader Felix Kulov from jail on CNN during a break between live commentators on the Michael Jackson trial.
“I’m concerned because they’ve been our ally in the war on terrorism, helping us hunt Bin Laden,” said Broder, before being informed that he had likely confused his stans. It is Pakistan that has helped American forces fight Al Qaeda.
At the Brooklyn Public Library’s Kings Highway Branch, Phil Rosenstein, a history major at Kingsborough Community College, said he was very familiar with Kyrgyzstan. “It’s the largest of the former Soviet states, with some 15 million people, stretching from the Caspian Sea all the way to China,” said Rosenstein, accurately describing Kazakhstan.
Kyrgyzstan, located just southeast of Kazakhstan, actually has just over 5 million people and also borders Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and China. Its capital is Bishkek.