WASHINGTON (DOJO) — President Donald Trump said this week that the United States is seeking to regain control of Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, a move that would mark a dramatic shift in America’s posture toward the country now ruled by the Taliban.
“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said Thursday during a press conference alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London. He blasted the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as a “total disaster” and said Bagram was handed over “for nothing.”
Why Bagram matters
Located about an hour’s drive north of Kabul, the massive airbase served as the epicenter of U.S. and NATO operations during two decades of war. At its peak, more than 100,000 U.S. troops passed through Bagram. Trump highlighted its strategic location, stressing that the base sits “an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
Speaking later on Air Force One, Trump called Bagram “one of the most powerful bases in the world in terms of runway strength and length,” capable of landing “anything.”
Taliban rejects U.S. return
Afghan officials swiftly dismissed the possibility. Zakir Jalal, of the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, said on X:
“Throughout history, Afghans have not accepted a military presence. This possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks.”
The Taliban insists the U.S. can engage politically and economically but not militarily.
China weighs in
China also responded to Trump’s comments, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian urging Washington not to stir tensions.
“Afghanistan’s future should be decided by its own people,” Lin said. “Creating confrontation in the region won’t be popular.”
Beijing rejected Trump’s claims of a Chinese presence at Bagram. A BBC Verify investigation earlier this year found no evidence of Chinese military use of the base since the Taliban takeover.
Background
The U.S. handed Bagram to Afghan forces in 2021, shortly before the Taliban seized power. While the withdrawal was finalized under President Joe Biden, the process began under Trump’s first administration in 2020.
Despite that, Trump has repeatedly argued he would have kept Bagram — not because of Afghanistan, he said, but because of its strategic value near China.
