On September 20, US President Trump claimed on social media, “If Afghanistan does not return Bagram Air Base to the United States, bad things will happen.”
On the 18th, during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Starmer, he mentioned that negotiations with Afghanistan were ongoing, stating, “They want something from us, and we want the base back,” and “One reason we want that base is because it’s an hour away from where China is developing its nuclear weapons.”
On the 19th, while discussing plans with officials to reclaim Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan from the Taliban, he stated, “That was a place we should never have given up,” and “It was the most shameful day in our nation’s history. There was absolutely no reason to abandon it.”
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also reported, citing officials familiar with the negotiations, that the Trump administration is discussing with the Taliban a plan to resume a small US military presence at Bagram Airfield.
The US-Afghan negotiations could cover prisoner exchanges, economic agreements, and security-related matters.
Previously, in October 2001, US forces invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban regime. They withdrew from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021. The Taliban subsequently regained power.
Bagram Air Base is located north of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. When US forces withdrew abruptly, the base and large amounts of military equipment were handed over to the Afghan military, eventually falling into Taliban hands — a move that drew fierce criticism of the Biden administration at the time.
