Trump Demands Bagram Air Base Back, Threatens Taliban
Former president escalates pressure over Afghanistan site, tying it to regional security near China; no official plan to retake the base has been announced.
President Donald Trump escalated his demand for the return of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, posting on Truth Social that "BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!" if the Taliban do not return the airfield to the United States. The message, posted Saturday night, marked the latest in a string of remarks by Trump about the base, which the Taliban seized after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
Trump first floated the idea of the United States retaking Bagram while standing beside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, saying, "We're trying to get it back," and that the base is needed because "they need things from us." He added that one reason for seeking its return is that the base "is an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons."
Bagram sits in eastern Afghanistan near borders with China and Pakistan. It was the main U.S. hub during the War in Afghanistan after the 2001 attacks until the chaotic 2021 withdrawal by the Biden administration. Reuters described the base as once housing a Burger King, Pizza Hut, a large prison complex, and shops before it slipped under Taliban control. Earlier this year, during his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump warned that China was controlling Bagram, an assertion the Taliban denied. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told VOA News that they should refrain from making emotional statements based on unsubstantiated information.
Officials have not laid out any plan to reoccupy Bagram or otherwise engage militarily to retake the base, and it remains unclear what form U.S. involvement would take. The remarks come as the United States continues to wrestle with Afghanistan policy and as Trump touts hard-line stances during the 2024 campaign, while geopolitics in Asia keep the focus on strategic sites near China.
Analysts and policy observers note that any move to retake or even contest Bagram would be complicated legally and militarily, requiring decisions by multiple branches of government and considerations about diplomatic stability in the region. For now, there is no official U.S. plan announced to recapture Bagram, and the Taliban have not indicated any intention to return the base absent a negotiated settlement with Washington. The base's current status underscores the enduring question of what role Afghanistan plays in U.S. strategic calculations and how the Biden administration and its successors would handle any future disruptions involving Afghanistan and nearby rivals such as China.