KABUL — Afghanistan rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for American forces to reclaim the Bagram airbase on Friday, with a foreign ministry official stating Kabul is open to engagement but not to any renewed military presence, according to details received by The Chenab Times.
Trump announced on Thursday during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that his administration is working to “get back” the base, which he described as strategically vital due to its proximity to China. “We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said. “We gave it to [the Taliban] for nothing,” adding that Bagram is “exactly one hour away from where China makes its nuclear missiles.”
The Taliban swiftly dismissed the idea. “Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with one another … without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan,” Zakir Jalal, a foreign ministry official, posted on social media. Kabul is ready to pursue political and economic ties based on “mutual respect and shared interests,” he added.
Bagram, located north of Kabul, served as the U.S. military’s central hub during its two-decade occupation, hosting thousands and a notorious prison where many were detained without trial and abused during the “war on terror.” The Taliban seized the facility in 2021 after the U.S. withdrawal and the Afghan government’s collapse.
Trump has long regretted abandoning the base, arguing in March that Washington should have kept a small force for its location near China, not Afghanistan. His remarks confirm ongoing talks with Taliban officials, including a weekend meeting in Kabul between U.S. special hostage envoy Adam Boehler, former envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, focused on detained American citizens.
U.S. officials have considered re-establishing a presence at Bagram since at least March to gain leverage on security and access to Afghanistan’s mineral resources, though the U.S. does not recognize the Taliban government.
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