Late Thursday, Taliban officials categorically rejected former President Trump’s recent proposal for the United States to regain control of Bagram Air Base, the critical military facility abandoned during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. However, they did indicate an openness to discussions aimed at improving diplomatic relations between the two nations.
During a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Mr. Trump revealed that his administration had been actively pursuing efforts to reclaim Bagram Air Base, located just outside Kabul. U.S. forces had vacated the base in 2021, just ahead of the Taliban’s resurgence and takeover of Afghanistan.
“We’re looking to get it back because they rely on us for various things,” Mr. Trump stated. He further emphasized Bagram’s strategic significance for the U.S., noting its proximity – ‘an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.’
While Mr. Trump has previously voiced his disapproval of the U.S. withdrawal from the air base, his remarks on Thursday marked the first public confirmation that discussions to reclaim the facility might be actively taking place.
The Taliban government swiftly issued a response, making it clear they were amenable to dialogue but drew a firm line at any reintroduction of U.S. security forces.
Zakir Jalaly, an Afghan foreign ministry official, conveyed on social media that ‘Without the U.S. having any military presence in Afghanistan, both Afghanistan and the U.S. need to engage with each other, and they can have political and economic relations based on mutual respect and shared interests.’
Mr. Jalaly asserted that ‘Afghans have never accepted the military presence of anyone throughout history. But for other kinds of engagement, all paths remain open for them.’ He also praised Mr. Trump as ‘a good businessman and negotiator, more than just a politician.’
Not all officials were as measured in their responses. Muhajer Farahi, a deputy minister, shared a portion of a poem on X, stating: ‘Those who once smashed their heads against the rocks with us, their minds have still not found peace.’ He concluded his post pointedly with ‘Bagram, Afghanistan.’
Mr. Trump’s comments on Thursday did not detail his exact vision for Bagram. Since the Taliban’s takeover, the United States has maintained only minimal public engagement with Afghanistan, primarily focused on hostage negotiations. Notably, Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s special envoy for hostage response, made a rare visit to Kabul last week to meet with Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Both the State Department and the White House deferred comments regarding Bagram to the Department of Defense. In a statement on Thursday, the Pentagon affirmed its readiness ‘to execute any mission at the president’s direction.’
Meanwhile, in Washington, congressional Democrats sharply criticized Mr. Trump’s statements.
Representative Adam Smith of Washington, the leading Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, expressed profound concern in an interview, calling the President’s remarks ‘deeply, deeply troubling’ and ‘idiotic.’
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan has largely remained a pariah on the global stage. Its government has received official recognition from only one country: Russia. The nation’s economy is struggling to attract crucial foreign support and private investments. With the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level meetings approaching next Monday, Afghanistan will again be conspicuously absent, as its officials remain subject to a U.N. travel ban.
Situated 25 miles north of Kabul, Bagram Air Base, originally constructed by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, served as the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan throughout America’s two-decade presence in the country.
In March, Mr. Trump had previously argued that the U.S. should have maintained its presence at Bagram, citing its strategic location ‘exactly one hour away from where China makes its nuclear missiles.’ He had also asserted that Bagram was ‘now under China’s influence,’ a claim the Taliban promptly refuted.
It’s important to note that the 2020 agreement, signed between the Taliban and the United States during the first Trump administration, explicitly stipulated that the U.S. would ‘withdraw from Afghanistan all military forces of the United States,’ without any provision for retaining Bagram Air Base or any other military presence.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan left behind a vast array of weapons and military equipment, alongside a deserted embassy compound in central Kabul. Echoes of the American presence persist in Kabul’s bustling bazaars, where U.S. military uniforms and footwear are still traded. International visitors arriving at the airport are greeted by a stark graffiti message: ‘Our nation defeated America with the help of God.’
Additional reporting for this article was provided by Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt from Washington D.C., and Safiullah Padshah from Kabul, Afghanistan.