Uzbekistan may let the United States use a military airbase for operations in Afghanistan after evicting US troops in 2005, a NATO official and diplomats said yesterday.

Any move by Washington to tiptoe back into Uzbekistan is certain to enrage Russia, which has accused NATO of triggering a new arms race by beefing up its military presence around Russia.

Once an ally in the US-declared war against terrorism, Uzbekistan evicted US troops from Karshi-Khanabad airbase in 2005 when the West condemned it for firing on protesters in the town of Andizhan.