Observers have noted that a decision by the U. S. military to close "non-essential" fast-food outlets at its largest air base in Afghanistan has soldiers irked.

The Christian Science Monitor reported on Wednesday that Kandahar Air Base is the main entry point for troops and materiel entering the country, and its entertainment district of fast-food outlets, restaurants, electronics stores and sports facilities serves some 25,000 service personnel.

It was further reported that military officials made a study to determine whether the district and its operations were essential to troop morale or whether it hampered efforts to bring much-needed shipments of arms and supplies for military campaigns in Kandahar Province.

Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Hall posted on a NATO blog in February, "This is a war zone, not an amusement park."

Hall further wrote, "Supplying non-essential luxuries to big bases like Bagram and Kandahar makes it harder to get essential items to combat outposts and forward operating bases."

Troops on the Kandahar base don't agree.

Col. Dan Groves, head of operations at Kandahar airport, asked, "Are people back home really upset over us being able to have a burger? Do they really consider that we have it easy in this war zone?" (With Inputs from Agencies)