The Bagram airbase is nearly 64 km from the Afghan capital, Kabul. It was the largest US base in Afghanistan before its hasty withdrawal in 2021.
President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) reiterated that the US wants to regain control of the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, threatening the Taliban regime if his demands are not met.ย
“If Afghanistan doesnโt give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.ย
This is the second time that Trump has openly expressed the US’s intention of returning to the Bagram airbase, which the American forces had left following their withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Earlier this week, Trump, in a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said that the US is ‘trying to get’ Bagram airbase back.
“Weโre trying to get it back, by the way, that could be a little breaking news. Weโre trying to get it back because they need things from us,” the US President had said.ย
Importance of Bagram airbase and why the US wants it back?
The Bagram airbase is nearly 64 km from the Afghan capital, Kabul. It was the largest US base in Afghanistan before its hasty withdrawal in 2021. The airbase is strategically important because it is just an hour’s flight to China’s Xinjiang region. “Itโs an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” Trump said on Thursday.
Xinjiang is China’s autonomous region, where its key nuclear and missile facilities are located. China is also rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, and control over the Bagram airbase would only help the US in monitoring Beijing’s activities.ย ย
In addition to this, controlling the Bagram airbase would also help the US keep a check on Iran, which is also expanding its nuclear programme. It must be noted that the US had conducted strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – in July this year.ย
Taliban’s reservations over Trump’s demand
So far, the Taliban has shown its reservations over Trump’s demand. It has said that Afghanistan is not “dependent on any foreign power”, while highlighting that the two countries should improve the ties based on ‘mutual respect’.
“Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with one another โฆ without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan,” Zakir Jalal, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, said on X on Friday. “Kabul is ready to pursue political and economic ties with Washington based on โmutual respect and shared interestsโ.”
What is China’s opinion on Trump’s demand?
Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign ministry has said that it respects Kabul’s “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity”, noting that the future of Afghanistan “should be in the hands of the Afghan people”.
“Afghanistanโs future should rest in the hands of the Afghan people. Let me stress that stirring up tension and confrontation in the region will not be supported. We hope all parties will play a constructive role for regional peace and stability,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Thursday.
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