Taliban has rejected President Donald Trump’s demand to return Bagram air base in Afghanistan to US control, saying that a deal was “not possible”. Taliban also warned that any hostility will trigger the “strongest” response.
“Afghanistan is fully independent, governed by its own people, and not dependent on any foreign power,” Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Fasihuddin Fitrat said Sunday at an event in Kabul, according to Bloomberg. “We do not fear any bully or aggressor.”
“Recently, some people have said that they have entered negotiations with Afghanistan for taking back Bagram Air base,” he added. “A deal over even an inch of Afghanistan’s soil is not possible. We don’t need it.”
Trump earlier threatened Afghanistan of “bad things” if it refused to return the air base that served as the largest military base for the US in Afghanistan before Taliban took control in July 2021.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Trump has used the Bagram air base issue to criticise his predecessor, saying that the move left American weaponry and other military assets in the hands of the Taliban. The airbase is located some 64km (40 miles) from the Afghan capital, Kabul.
What is Bagram Air Base?
Bagram Air Base was the central hub of US military operations in Afghanistan after it overtook the Taliban regime post 9/11 attacks in the US. US and NATO troops withdrew from the Bagram airbase after a in July 2021 as part of a Trump-era agreement that came into effect during the Biden administration.
During the years of US control in Afghanistan and its “war on terror” thousands were imprisoned at the site for years without charge or trial by US forces.
It has runways longer than many international airports and has hardened shelters, hospitals, and fuel depots, according to an Economic Times report.
According to Reuters, the base also housed fast-food restaurants like Burger King and Pizza Hut to cater to the US troops, along with shops selling everything from electronics to Afghan rugs. Bagram also had a massive prison complex.
Why is Bagram Air Base important for the US?
Its strategic position at the crossroads of Iran, Pakistan, China’s Xinjiang province and Central Asia, could appeal to Trump in terms of reinstating US influence in the region. This also implies surveillance and signal intelligence over a vast stretch of Eurasia, from Russian military activity to Chinese projects, according to the Economic Times.
During a recent visit to the United Kingdom, Trump said that the US was working to revive control of the strategic base.
“We’re trying to get it back, by the way, that could be a little breaking news. We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump said at a news conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
