Trump Aims to Reclaim Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan as US-Taliban Ties Evolve
During a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, outgoing President Donald Trump hinted at plans to re-establish a U.S. military presence at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, four years since America’s hasty withdrawal from the country left the base under Taliban control.
Trump tied this potential move to the need for the U.S. to counter its primary rival, China. When questioned about ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he remarked, “We’re trying to get it back,” alluding to Bagram Air Base.
Although Trump described his proposal as a breaking news development, such discussions have been previously raised during his presidency. At the time of publication, there was no immediate response from the White House or Pentagon regarding any planning for returning to the extensive air base, which played a significant role in America’s longest war.
During his tenure, Trump set terms for the U.S. withdrawal by negotiating a deal with the Taliban. The two-decade conflict ended under President Joe Biden in tumultuous circumstances: The U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed, a devastating bombing claimed 13 American lives and 170 others, and thousands of desperate Afghans swarmed Kabul’s airport in search of an escape before the final U.S. aircraft departed over the Hindu Kush.
The Afghanistan debacle marked a significant setback eight months into Biden’s presidency, which he has struggled to overcome. Critics, including Trump, have seized upon it as a defining moment in what they perceive as a failed presidency. These criticisms persist to this day, with Trump recently claiming that the move emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine in February 2022.
“He would not have done what he did, except that he didn’t respect the leadership of the United States,” Trump said, referring to Putin. “They just went through the Afghanistan debacle for no reason at all. We were leaving Afghanistan, but we were leaving it with strength and dignity. We were going to keep Bagram Air Base – one of the biggest air bases in the world. We gave it to them for nothing.”
The current status of any direct or indirect negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban government regarding a potential return to Afghanistan remains uncertain. However, Trump suggested that the economically struggling Taliban, who have faced issues with international legitimacy, internal divisions, and rival militant groups since regaining power in 2021, might be open to allowing the U.S. military to re-enter.
“We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump said of the Taliban.
The president emphasized that a U.S. presence at Bagram would be valuable due to its proximity to China, the United States’ most significant economic and military competitor.
“But one of the reasons we want that base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China manufactures its nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “So a lot of things are happening.”
Although the U.S. and Taliban have no formal diplomatic relations, they have held hostage discussions in the past. An American tourist who was abducted over two years ago was released by the Taliban in March. Last week, there were reports of an agreement between U.S. envoys and the Taliban for a prisoner exchange as part of an effort to normalize relations between the United States and Afghanistan.
Details regarding this potential detainee swap have not been disclosed, nor has the White House commented on the meeting in Kabul or the results described in a Taliban statement. The Taliban released photographs from their talks, featuring their foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, with Trump’s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler.
Officials at U.S. Central Command in the Middle East and the Pentagon, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office, have referred queries about re-establishing a presence at Bagram to the White House.